Petal Hinges
by Fortune
Summary: Amy is forced to choose what's truly important when her love life goes dangerously awry. SonAmy vs. ShadAmy. #CO1#
1. The Encounter

**Author's Note: My gifted friend, known as Sonic Rose here on FFnet, has created a very nice fanart pic based on this story! Check it out at http/sonicrose(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Petal-Hinges-A-Chance-Meeting-70702513 (be sure to change the (dot) to periods)!**

Part 1 – Amy

Chapter 1 – The Encounter

Moonlight cast an eerie hue over Seabright Beach, where Amy Rose stood breathlessly outside the door of a dilapidated four-story beach house. Each thud of her heart resided within its own surreal second as her conscience struggled to be heard over it.

_don't go in_

It had all started out simply enough. After working as a cashier at the local Mega Market of Station Square for nearly three years, she had accumulated plenty of vacation time, more than enough to take the week off. The weather had been absolutely gorgeous lately, so she thought it would be nice to hang out at the beach. An all-new boardwalk had been built there last year, which had in turn spawned a plethora of additional tourist shops and concession stands.

Amy spent the first half of her first day of vacation admiring the attractions and sampling a variety of tasty treats. A team of skilled inline skaters whizzed by just as she was taking in a mouthful of strawberry-flavored funnel cake.

Hey, she thought to herself, that looks like fun!

A couple of hours later, a brand new pair of rollerblades with cute little hearts and sparkles on them were strapped to her feet. She was on vacation, so why not? She pushed herself up from the bench and took her first step on the boardwalk. Her ankle immediately went crooked as the skate tipped off balance. She had to reach for the bench again just to hold herself up. Ugh, this was harder than it looked!

Little by little, Amy began to get the hang of it. Her balance was a nightmare; she looked like a wobbly old lady struggling to cross the street. She could feel herself blushing as people laughed. Once she finally got herself on a good, solid roll, she found out how hard it was to stop. Half-eaten food and ketchup-soiled wrappers tumbled across the boardwalk as she tipped over a trash can.

"Ow," she breathed, pushing away from the can. It was right about that moment that a fondly familiar form caught the corner of her eye. Sonic! Her head whipped about, but it wasn't Sonic. She gasped at the realization that she was suddenly beholding Shadow the hedgehog for the first time in years. …He didn't look much different! 

Shadow stood nearby, peering down at her with the cocked eyebrow of mild curiosity. Moments after they made eye contact, he stepped over and offered his hand. Instinctive fear washed over her at the gesture; the last she'd heard of him, he was in the explosive midst of some crazy alien invasion and GUN scandal. That, and he was just plain kinda creepy. Nevertheless, she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Thanks," she managed, to no reply. She quickly turned her eyes back to her skates. "It's my first time doing this," she added, to avoid an awkward silence more than anything. There were actually quite a few things she wanted to ask him, like where he'd been all this time and what he was doing here, but she didn't dare. As she started to push off, his hand caught her arm and jerked her back. What was he _doing_? Before she could cry out, two skaters raced by, grazing her. One of them called out his apologies as they continued on.

"You might want to start by watching where you're going," Shadow said flatly. Amy swallowed and caught her breath, feeling even more embarrassed that she'd assumed the worst.

"…Thanks again," she replied sheepishly. She couldn't wait to get out of there. She clumsily pushed off again, eyes up this time, and rolled forward. Her balance quickly left her, and the next thing she knew her arms were windmilling in a futile effort to keep her from falling. As she was sent spilling backwards, all at once she was in Shadow's grip again, spared from another hard lesson. Gawd…where were all the crawl-in-and-die holes when she needed one?

"Bend your knees," he directed as he pushed her back upright. She complied. "More." He put a hand on her shoulder and firmly guided her. If her face wasn't red before, it certainly was now. "They should stick out at least as far as your nose. It'll help keep you from falling back and make it easier to maneuver. Push off with your heel and bring your knees close together." Wow…apparently he couldn't stand watching her make a fool of herself anymore.

With Shadow's tips, Amy did feel a much better sense of control over the skates, but her legs were absolutely on fire from the extra strain. After a while she realized that he'd accompanied her across the entire length of the boardwalk, answering her questions and correcting her mistakes. She was a bit surprised to see this patient, attentive side of him. Had he always been like this, or had he changed over the years? She didn't know him well enough to say, but she did work up the nerve to inquire about what he'd been doing with his life. His response was mostly obscure, touching on time spent on Mobius and Earth, reminding her somewhat of Sonic's rootless style of travel. She decided against prying any further.

When her legs couldn't stand it anymore, Amy called it a day. She bid polite goodbye to Shadow and extended additional thanks for his trouble. He actually acknowledged them for once, albeit with a decidedly cold tone. "You're welcome."

It felt so good to have the skates off. Amy stepped off the monorail train at her stop and glanced around. The sun was already starting to set. She'd best pick up the pace if she wanted to make it home before dark. Yeah, her legs were gonna hate her tomorrow.

A few blocks from her apartment, her Sonic radar had someone in its sights again, a ways up the street. She leaned to see around the parked cars. It really was him—and in the very same day at that!

"Sonic!" she called out happily. He stopped and turned her way, and best of all, he didn't run. It was a small but significant victory for her, getting to this point, for which she owed her thanks to the specialized Mobian Research Team that had been formed exclusively for the purpose of studying Mobian beings on Earth. In exchange for allowing them to collect blood and tissue samples and conduct various tests, she was promised free medical treatment for life. Not a bad deal to her; in fact, it was one of the reasons she'd remained here instead of returning to Mobius. Even better still, she also learned that they were extremely interested in studying the social and physical aspects of reproduction, and thus it was in both their interests for her to get together with Sonic. They'd been giving her advice on how she could help put him at ease around her, such as not running up and throwing herself on him and not chasing him if he did run. It hadn't happened overnight, but there was definitely progress—and she couldn't be happier.

"Hey, Amy," Sonic greeted as she trotted up. She stopped right next to him but recalled the research team's advice and backed off a bit. Sonic made a strange face, kind of similar to the one Shadow had made when she first saw him that day.

"What are you up to? Going to visit Chris?" she asked with suppressed excitement. The destination was a logical speculation since her place was on the way to Chris' home.

"Just came from there, actually. Chris got his driver's permit and wanted me to take a ride with him in his dad's car." He chuckled. "His dad's not gonna be happy when he sees how that went." The comment reminded Amy of her own little incident with the trash can earlier, and she suddenly remembered Shadow.

"Oh, guess who I ran into today!" 

Sonic was silent for a moment and then stated the answer without a hint of doubt. "Shadow."

"How'd you know?"

"I can smell him on you," Sonic replied, much to Amy's surprise.

"You can?"

"Yeah, a little. What's he been up to?"

Amy told Sonic about her rollerblading mishaps and Shadow's unexpected help, along with what vague info she got out of him about his life in recent years. Sonic snorted a short laugh.

"Hopefully he's getting his act cleaned up. That dude's got issues."


	2. The Beach House

Chapter 2 – The Beach House

Amy returned to the beach the next day. Skating was the farthest thing from her mind; her legs had made it clear that they wanted no part of any such thing until their soreness subsided. She sat on a bench along the edge of the boardwalk enjoying a leisurely scoop of spumoni ice cream. Interesting flavor…definitely not one she'd be getting anymore.

"We meet again," Shadow's voice nearly startled her completely off the bench. She'd assumed her encounter with him the day before to be an isolated incident.

"Oh, hello," Amy began before swallowing an entire chunk of fruit from her ice cream. "…You must come here a lot, huh?"

"I live here," he replied. Amy's eyes widened. He didn't seem like the type to situate himself in such a touristy area. He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but he stopped himself. She turned to get another lick of her ice cream before it could run down onto her hand.

"Oh, that's pretty neat, being walking distance from the beach." After another couple of licks, she continued, "I'd come out here every day too if I lived this close! I'm on vacation this week so I've been coming out here all the way from Station Square." Lick. "I might try skating again tomorrow, but my legs are way too…sore today…." she trailed off when she looked back up at Shadow. His eyes were on her in a disturbingly icy, calculating fix…and she suddenly found herself very uncomfortable. The words "t_hat dude's got issues_" suddenly hit home. "Uh…but for now, I need to get back to town…and run some errands." She was such a bad liar.

Shadow's expression softened a bit. "I see."

Amy got up and tossed her cone in the trash. Her appetite was gone. "Bye," she said quickly as she hurried off, not even waiting for a reply.

Amy decided to spend the rest of the day shopping in Station Square. The malls there were huge and full of great stores. As she browsed a selection of premium bakeware, a tiny inkling of guilt surfaced from her subconscious and began to grow.

He was probably only looking at her that way because she wouldn't shut up. His life has been so messed up…he probably has a hard time relating to anyone. He comes over to chat, and all she does is rudely run off. He looked hurt when she—oh, what a cute cake pan!

She came out of the store, her new pan in bag, feeling only slightly better than before she got to thinking. How could she have been so cold to turn away someone who was probably just lonely? She should know how it feels, considering how many times Sonic had done the same to her. Well, it wasn't quite the same thing, but still--just thinking about that made tears well up in her eyes.

The following day was nothing like the first two; the weather was cold, rainy, and windy. Amy made a point of returning to the beach anyway, in the hopes of finding Shadow so she could apologize. Few people were there, which she considered a good thing since it would make him easier to spot. She wandered up and down the boardwalk, looking, shivering. The combo of red and black finally caught her eye, but it turned out to be a kid in a jacket. It was no use…she'd just have to come back later.

Day four of her vacation, the balmy weather had returned, and the beach was packed. She decided not to go out of her way to look for Shadow this time but simply go about her own business there. That was how she had crossed paths with him the last two times, so perhaps that would be the best tactic. Her preferred bench was occupied, so she sat to enjoy her grilled Panino on another one a few yards down. Just as she was taking her first bite, she catches sight of him in the river of people coursing through.

"Shadow, hey!" she waved and beckoned him over with her free hand. He appeared a bit surprised as he approached. "Hey, uh, I wanna apologize for cutting out like I did the other day. That was rude of me, and I'm sorry." She paused, and he blinked at her. "Here, would you like to sit with me? Have you had lunch yet?" Shadow slowly turned and took a seat beside her.

"I just ate."

"Oh, what'd you have?"

"Some kind of sub."

"Where'd you get it?"

"…Someone brought it but he didn't want it," Shadow answered after an odd pause. He ate someone's leftover sandwich and wasn't even sure what it was? A concept began to occur to Amy of the nature of Shadow's situation. She envisioned him wandering the boardwalk as a daily beggar of sorts, taking strangers' handouts and digging through the trash for his meals. How awful—and she was sticking her nose right in the middle of it. Quick, change the subject!

"Wow, there sure is a lot of bird poop on this bench," she muttered. Her eyes darted up to him, and she found that he was cracking the first smile she'd ever witnessed. He glanced at her meal.

"Sloppy eaters," he quipped. She peered down upon a lapful of bread crumbs.

"Ohh, hehe, it's kinda hard to eat stuff like this without making a mess," she laughed nervously, hopping to her feet and brushing off her dress. "Want to walk with me?"

Shadow and Amy spent the rest of the day browsing the local shops, watching freestyle performances, and chatting about mostly frivolous topics. A lot of the shopkeepers knew him by name, she noticed. It reinforced her theory on his underprivileged lifestyle. She felt very pleased with herself for taking time out to offer him a little companionship. Maybe it was just what he needed to get on his feet here.

At the far end of the beach, away from the public, they sat at dusk facing an old beach house in the distance. It was quite large, but it had obviously been in a state of disrepair for some time.

"What is that place over there?" Amy asked. "Is it being used for anything?"

"They used to rent it out for events, but it was damaged in a fire several years ago and has been closed ever since." Shadow went silent for a few moments, then continued. "I use it now." The shock of that statement cast the trash scavenging images back into Amy's mind.

"Oh…." It was all she could manage.

"It's a roof, dry place to sleep, serves my purpose," he casually went on, "and most people don't even know it's back here, so it gets left alone. I hate when people come nosing around…uhh, but you're welcome to drop by if you want."

Amy laughed. "Thanks." He was obviously just trying to be polite. "Hey," she started as her thoughts turned to her empty stomach, "are you hungry? Let's go to that restaurant we passed, by the arcade!" Shadow frowned, but she pressed on. "C'mon, my treat!" She took hold of his arm and got to her feet, prompting him to do the same. He remained silent as they made their way back to the restaurant.

Curious patrons whispered and stared at the two hedgehogs at table 14. Shadow seemed rather uncomfortable but showed no signs of letting it hinder his appetite. His table mannerisms were surprisingly good, better than Sonic's. Amy glanced at the remnants of chicken Kiev on his plate.

"How's the food?"

"It's better than I thought it would be."

The heavy beat of beach party music greeted them as they stepped back outside. It was getting late.

"Thanks for hanging out with me, Shadow. I had a lot of fun," Amy said with sincerity. "I'll be out here tomorrow if you wanna do it again!"

Again, Shadow's eyes narrowed into the calculating leer that had so unnerved her a couple of days ago. She was taken aback at first but then realized that he was…looking through her…thinking.

"I'll be busy until four," he finally said. It wasn't a refusal, so it was good enough.

"Okay, great, see you tomorrow, then! Have a good night!"

"Good night."


	3. The Decision

Chapter 3 – The Decision

Chapter 3 – The Decision

Amy's visits to the beach developed into a daily routine that continued well beyond the end of her vacation. In the workweek that followed, she got off at five o' clock, ate supper, then headed straight out there. The week after that was the same. Each day she'd meet Shadow at the bird poop bench, as they had come to call it, and the rest would be played by ear. The only exception was when it rained. Rain was deemed an automatic cancellation.

Some of the more memorable events during those days included the time he gave her a taste of what it was like to skate extremely fast. He pulled her along on her rollerblades to help her pick up speed, then let go. She coasted along nicely for a little ways while he glided alongside, and when she started to lose it he gave her a nudge this way or that to keep her on track. In the end she had managed to completely knock him down with her flailing arms just before crashing into a lamppost.

In another amusing incident, a little girl kept playing with Shadow's quills at the juice bar, bending them, bouncing them, and pulling them while he asked Amy if she liked mango and if the girl had any parents and if the parents were even looking or if the parents thought this was cute or if the parents might actually open their mouths and say something to get this parasite off of him. Amy couldn't stop laughing.

Probably the most exciting moment, though, was when Shadow somehow got himself into a spontaneous competition of sorts with a breakdancer. That guy was good, but Shadow really blew the crowd away with his quills-to-skates backspin. The cheering and applause were deafening!

Amy learned some interesting things about Shadow during those two weeks. He exhibited traits she never expected him to possess and did things, little things, that surprised her each day. She found herself very glad to have taken the time to get to know him. There were even moments when he almost seemed like Sonic—and the fact of the matter was that he was actually more handsome—but he still didn't hold a candle to her charismatic blue hero.

Sonic…she hadn't run into him in a while. Nothing could take the place of time spent with him. She could feel herself coming into heat this week, during which time she smelled her sweetest and felt most romantic, so she determined it was about time she sought him out and gave his biological clock another nudge. She remembered his mentioning hanging out with Chris lately, since Chris was practicing for his driver's test, so on that Saturday afternoon she paid a visit to the Thorndyke mansion.

"Amy, hello! Long time no see!" a robust Hispanic maid greeted her at the front door.

"Hi, Ella! How've you been? Is Chris home?"

"Oh, fine, thank you, and yes he is! He's upstairs watching TV with Sonic."

Bingo.

"Okay, thanks, Ella!" Amy dashed up the steps. She was already quite familiar with the mansion from the period in which she'd stayed there, so she knew exactly where to go. Down the corridor on the second floor was a roomy lounge with a long, U-shaped couch facing a 65-inch plasma TV. She found Chris and Sonic in there catching a sitcom.

"See, if you drove like that you'd be better off!" Sonic teased amidst a crazy car chase scene. Chris busted out laughing. He turned and saw Amy standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Amy! Come on in!" Chris waved her over with an enthusiastic hand. Sonic looked only a little surprised that she had found him.

"Hey, guys, thought I'd drop in!" Amy made her way over to the couch and sat near Sonic. No research team was going to hold her back today. "Hey, Sonic," she said in her usual flirty tone. He breathed a short laugh and sidled away slightly.

Chris sat up, asking, "You guys want some popcorn? I can throw some in the microwave!" Sonic and Amy accepted, so Chris hopped up and walked to the kitchenette in the back of the room. "Anything to drink? Amy?"

"I'm fine, thanks!"

"Sonic?"

"Uhh, got any cream soda?"

"Yeah," Chris responded, "regular or diet?"

"Regular."

While Sonic's head was turned, Amy took the opportunity to scoot a bit closer to him. When he turned back, his trademark simper quickly faded.

"What have you been up to?" he asked with a hint of flatness in his voice.

"Oh, I've been hanging out at the beach a lot," she replied pleasantly. His eyebrow sunk but he said nothing, as if waiting for her to go on. "…and, uh, I found out that Shadow's been pretty much living out there, so he's been showing me around and stuff." An uneasy twinge hit her gut as Sonic blinked a couple of times and turned his eyes back to the TV, drawing a heavy breath.

"Here you go, Sonic." Chris stepped up behind them and handed over the cream soda. "The popcorn should be ready soon."

After the good shows were over and the snacks had been consumed, Sonic thanked Chris for everything and told him he'd be heading out. Amy, of course, followed. As they stepped out the front door, she expected him to say his fleeting goodbye and take off, but he didn't.

"Amy, I need to talk to you." His tone and expression were very somber.

"What's up?"

He drew a deep breath and paused for a moment. "…I don't think it's a good idea for you to be hanging out with Shadow. He's always getting into trouble."

Amy looked down at her adjoined hands, feeling flattered that Sonic was actually showing concern for her yet still inclined to defend her position. "I know, I thought so too, at first, but he seems to have calmed down a lot. He's a lot nicer. I think…I think he just needs a friend now more than anything."

"Amy, are you kidding?! He tried to blow a hole in this planet with a space cannon! And remember all those people he shot just a few years ago? You honestly think that he's all magically different now and just wants you to be his good buddy? Are you that stupid?!"

Amy could feel her temperature rising. "How the heck would you know? The only time you're ever around him all you do is try to beat each other up!"

"Amy, listen," Sonic calmed his voice and took hold of her arms just below the shoulders. "How many times have I _ever_ tried to talk you out of taking a risk? As many crazy-ass things as I do, I feel like a hypocrite for even saying anything, but that's just how…how bad of a situation you're putting yourself in! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

For a few moments, Amy was too shocked to respond. Sonic was…actually touching her!

"I'm all for giving someone a second chance, but you just can't afford to trust some people," he went on. "He's a psycho, a time bomb, just waiting to go off again. I'm not gonna let you have anything to do with him."

His last words snapped Amy back into the argument. She jerked herself out of his grasp. "What do you mean, you're not gonna 'let' me? You act like you want nothing to do with me, but all of a sudden you think you can tell me what I can and can't do? He's been nothing but nice to me since I met him, and I can't even say the same thing about you! He actually bothers to spend time with me, and he listens when I'm telling him about something that interests me, and all you ever do is just brush me aside like a piece of garbage! Now here you are acting like you're soooo worried about me, but it's like you don't want me to be friends with him just because _you_ can't stand him! Maybe you're the one who's sick in the head!"

It took a few seconds for Amy to realize what she'd just said. She'd never spoken that way to Sonic in her life. All these years she'd managed to bottle up the pain and insecurities he'd caused her, and now they'd all been blurted out. Sonic stood there, ears turned slightly back, glaring at her. She tried to think of something nicer to say, but he spoke first.

"Do whatever you want." And then he walked off. She could only stand there, at a loss for words. As if on cue, cold raindrops began to strike the concrete around her and wet her face…only it was already wet.

The showers continued well into the evening, intensifying into thunderstorms for a while, then tapering off and giving way to a star-studded sky. Amy tossed restlessly in bed, hurt and angry and scared and upset. She couldn't think straight…she desperately needed to talk to someone. Her eyes traveled to the alarm clock at her bedside, which displayed 8:57 p.m. If she went out there now, the beach would be closed by the time she got there. She lay a few minutes more, pondering, considering, and finally made her decision.

Now, here she was, standing before the darkened beach house, heart pounding furiously. It was the middle of the night—what the heck was she thinking, coming out here?? What if he got mad? What if he was really every bit as messed up as Sonic said? Even her conscience, which had been chastising her earlier for running off on him, was speaking against the thought of going in.

_bad idea_

Nevertheless, she reached for the door, which was barely hanging from its hinges. It opened easily but quickly struck something on the other side, leaving only a narrow opening. She gave it a push, but it wouldn't budge, so she simply squeezed in.

_turn back_

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, she detected a dim source of light coming from one of the upper floors. She mustered her courage to speak.

"Hello?" It came out frail and full of fear. She listened, but there was no response, not a sound. She stepped over to the spiral staircase with agonizing slowness and began to ascend.

_you're gonna die_

On the way up, as the light became a bit stronger, she began to make out objects propped against the walls of the second floor. She couldn't tell what they were, but they cast extremely eerie shadows across the room. A sudden thud sounded on the third floor, causing her to jump and freeze. It seemed to come from the same area as the source of light.

"…Shadow?"

No response.

She took a steadying breath and continued up the rest of the way. On the third floor, she saw a burning candle atop a dresser, which illuminated a small table nearby and the edge of a bed. Was he asleep? Her heart sounded more loudly than her footsteps as she approached. At the bed's edge, she reached out…and found nothing in it.

And then, finally, she heard the sound—of her next breath cut short.


	4. The Confrontation

Part 2 – Sonic

Chapter 4 – The Confrontation

After their argument in front of the mansion, Sonic had secretly followed Amy home. Most of what she'd said that day was true; there were countless times when he'd treated her badly, and he had no right to forbid her from being with Shadow. There was even some truth in his motives having selfish roots. While her safety was indeed a real concern for him, it certainly wasn't the only one. Something about Shadow's scent tainting her sweet pheromones had really pushed a button in him somewhere. It was like finding a fly in his Jell-O. He wasn't sure why, but he hated the idea of them being together regardless of Shadow's intentions. There was an uncomfortable shift taking place somewhere in it all, a gargoyle clawing at his own conscience. All he knew for sure was that he didn't want her to be near Shadow, physically or emotionally.

Seeing Amy go straight home had given Sonic a small sense of relief, but he'd waited in his vantage point a while longer just to be sure. Rain dripped from his every quill for nearly an hour. During that time, he had considered going down and having another talk with her, but he knew that that would mean having to admit she was right, and he couldn't bring himself to do that. Finally, he'd gotten up and gone his own way. The evening had been spent loitering in a local mall while he dried off, and when the rain had stopped, he'd ventured back outside and wandered the city. His only real home remained in Mobius, so his nights on Earth had always entailed his making the best of whatever resources were available. That night he spent on a stranger's rooftop, gazing at the stars until he finally drifted to sleep.

Sonic's eyes opened as the mid-morning sunshine began to creep over to his side of the roof. All of the emotions of the previous day's incident came flooding back with his consciousness. Even stronger was the inclination to talk with Amy. Pride at stake or not, he suddenly felt like every second he waited was another ticking against him…against whatever it was he needed to protect. Being Sunday, it was her day off from work, so she was probably still home. If she was sleeping in, he hoped she didn't mind being woken up. If she did, she'd have to get over it.

His knuckles rapped sharply against Amy's apartment door five times. He crossed his arms and waited several seconds, then several more. There wasn't a sound from inside. He pounded on the door with the side of his fist another seven times. He wondered after many more seconds passed where she could have gone so early, but then, at last, he heard noises inside the apartment. A lock unlatched, then another, and the door was slowly cracked open.

_Whoa._

Though Amy was standing there, all he could smell was Shadow. Peeking out, she looked equally as surprised to see him. They could only gape at each other for several moments before Sonic finally spoke.

"Uh……can I…come in?"

Amy hesitated. "Y-yeah." She opened the door fully and backed away. Sonic entered slowly, cautiously, his initial shock giving way to adrenaline. He found himself scanning the room for Shadow, the scent was so strong. Finally he glanced at Amy, who stood nervously watching him, fidgeting with her fingers. Something was very wrong. He couldn't remember anything he had come to say, but there was a single question screaming to be asked. He decided, against his every impulse, to play it cool.

"…I just came by to check on you and make sure you're still alive," he remarked, watching her carefully. Her already somber expression darkened as she broke eye contact.

"I'm fine."

He glanced about the living room again. "You know, this is the first time I've been in here. Mind if I…take a look around?"

Amy looked back at him, blinking. "Go ahead."

She shut the front door as Sonic headed down the hall, sniffing. The smell didn't seem to be getting any stronger. He went into each room, checked each closet, finding nothing he considered unusual. Amy followed him at a distance, idly commenting on the decorating themes and colors. After the tour, he followed her back to the living room, confirming in his mind the source of the odor. _It was her. _His anger simmered just beneath the surface.

"Got any plans for the day?" the words came out sour.

After a long pause, Amy replied, "No..."

"Huh, that's a surprise. I thought you'd want to hang out with your new best friend, seeing how you two are so close." Amy balked at the words.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

His tone grew sharper with each word. "Well I don't know, Amy, maybe that I can smell him on you from 10 miles away?! What, have you been screwing him now?!"

He stared as her emerald eyes flashed in an instant from shock to rage.

"_YES!!! YES I HAVE!! Are you happy now?! Is that what you wanted to hear?!_"

Her outburst sent him a step backward, eyes wide, ears folded back, standing in another stunned silence. A knot formed in his gut as the anger all at once was awash in a wave of emotional pain. He could only say one thing.

"Oh…."

Tears spilled from Amy's eyes, and she brushed past Sonic in retreat to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. He stared in her direction for several moments, then turned back and looked about the room where her words had so shrilly echoed just seconds ago, their impact now starting to sink in.

He had to get out of there.


	5. The Realization

Chapter 5 – The Realization

Having just bailed out of Amy's apartment, Sonic ran aimlessly through the city, angry and upset and thoroughly nauseated. He wasn't sure where he was going, nor did he care; he just needed someplace to sort things out. Thirty minutes into his aimless excursion, he found himself standing before the recently renamed Mobius Monorail Station. The trains here ran exclusively through the world portal to Mobius and back.

Tails. He could talk to Tails.

Sonic hurried inside, up the steps, and into an idling train. No sooner than he'd sat down, three young boys sitting across from him went into a frenzy over seeing their hero in the flesh. Normally he would have taken great pleasure in the attention, but even this couldn't quell the rotten feeling festering deep within. He did his best to smile and make the encounter a pleasant one for them.

He stepped off the train at the Mystic Ruins of Mobius. The station had been completely rebuilt from the ground up into a breathtakingly elaborate facility. Human customs agents now kept strict control over traffic in and out of the world, but Mobians were always allowed in without paperwork. Sonic exited the station and headed straight for Tails' workshop, a short distance up the dirt path.

As he neared the structure, he was greeted by the familiar whirring of power tools emanating from inside. He pushed open the front door and let himself in. Tails' voice echoed from the adjoining hangar.

"C'mon, be a good little motor and cooperate…don't do this to me…!" he pleaded with his project. Seconds later, an extremely loud mechanical growl rattled the workshop, only to sputter and die. "Uuuuugggghhhh!!"

Sonic rounded the corner and spotted his friend. Though only 11 years old, Tails had already grown almost as big as him, which was typical of his species. He sat next to a motor the size of three cars, grimacing and running his hands back and forth over his ears in obvious frustration. Even in his own emotionally distraught state, Sonic couldn't help but smile.

"This a bad time?" he cracked at the fox. Tails immediately lit up.

"Sonic!! Hey, what perfect timing! I just finished up a new feature for the Tornado!"

The hedgehog's thumb pointed at the monstrous motor. "This??"

"Oh no, not that," Tails waved it away. "This is something else. C'mere and see what I did!"

Tails showed Sonic over to his beloved plane and pointed out a pair of upgraded thruster-like contraptions under its wings. As he launched into a detailed explanation of their intricate workings, Sonic's mind wandered back to Amy's outburst. He pretended to listen as he watched Tails illustrate his points with various hand gestures. The fox's hands first made up the outermost edges of a large, invisible circle, then came together with fanned fingers that seemed to stroke away from each other. Then he made a hole with one hand and plunged his finger in and out of it with the other. Sonic blinked and gave his head a quick shake.

"Wait, what??"

"The pistons," Tails repeated, "they're powered by the accumulated energy."

"Oh. Uh, hey, Tails, do you think…do you think I'm…selfish?"

"No—well, when you get cookies from Ella you always keep them to yourself, but otherwise I'd say no," Tails teased. "Why?"

"Well, like…okay, say there's this…cookie, and it's a good cookie, nothing wrong with it, but maybe I just don't want it right away, so it sits there for a while, and I, I look at it sometimes and I say 'maybe later,' but then someone else comes along and just takes the cookie. You can understand me being upset, right?"

Tails shrugged. "Well, you left it sitting there, so it's fair game, right?"

"But…what if the guy who took it doesn't deserve it, and he's…he's wasting it, and I just can't _stand_ the thought of him having that cookie?" Sonic hissed through gritted teeth. Tails made a strange face.

"Uhh…so…you want it just because he has it…?"

Sonic opened his mouth but hesitated for several moments. "……I…….no…not necessarily……" he trailed off and turned away.

Did he?

"…Are you okay?" Tails sounded concerned now. Sonic's stomach churned, and the helpless fury began to rear its head again.

"No…no I'm not! I screwed around until I finally screwed myself over, and now I'm screwed no matter what I do!!" he snapped. Tails stared, wide-eyed.

The more Sonic thought about it, the angrier he got…not because anything seemed any more horrible than it had, but because he was beginning to recognize more and more that he was, in fact, being selfish, and that he'd _been_ selfish. All that time, Amy had always been conveniently available; he'd never bothered to give it much consideration because he'd never had to. He knew she'd always be there, ready to jump to him at a moment's notice. She was that cookie left on the counter…and he had no one but himself to blame now that she'd been devoured by a hungry dog. He hadn't realized what he had until she had slipped right through his fingers. And now he was furious, ready to kick Shadow's ass for claiming her? Damn, had it even crossed his mind to consider what _she_ wanted? His eyes began to sting.

"What…what do you mean??" Tails stammered.

"I mean I've been an idiot. I've had something precious but failed to realize it, and now it's gone," Sonic's demeanor had been drastically subdued.

Tails gasped. "Eggman??"

"No," Sonic groaned and put his palm to his head. "It's…kinda complicated. The cookie kinda does what it wants…." This analogy was crumbling like a cookie. Tails squinted as if pondering an advanced equation.

"Wwwwhat does the cookie want?"

What _did_ she want? Why was she so upset when she claimed to be Shadow's? What about it all was making her so unhappy?

"…I don't know………" Sonic replied thoughtfully, "…but now I know what I need to do. Thanks, Tails. I'll catch ya later, 'kay?" As he dashed out the way he came, he heard Tails' parting words.

"Uh…okay……glad I could help…!"

Standing back in front of Amy's door, Sonic heaved a dread-filled sigh. This wasn't going to be easy. His knuckles rapped with half the intensity of before. It wasn't long enough before the door opened. Amy said nothing; she only peered at him with red, puffy eyes. Shadow's musk hit him again, but he retained his focus and composure.

"…I'm sorry," came the words, coddled in genuine compassion. "You were right. I've been horribly selfish. Please forgive me."

Amy's face faulted. She cupped a hand over her mouth as tears surfaced once again.

"C'mon, come sit down," Sonic nudged her inside and guided her to the nearby sofa. She wiped her eyes as she sat. He remained standing for a few moments, drawing a breath, then kneeled beside her. "I've caused you a lot of pain, and if you wanna hit me or hate me or call me Sonic the rat, it's fine, I deserve it. But, Amy, I want you to know that I'm here as a friend now. Your decisions are yours to make, and I'm not going to hold them against you anymore." Her eyes glanced into his briefly, then returned to the floor. He was silent for a while, then went on. "I wanna know what's bothering you. Why are you so upset? Was it something I said?" Her face crumpled again, but she shook her head. "Does it have to do with Shadow?"

His heart tightened with the onset of a previously unconsidered concept. "…Did he force himself on you?" Her brow deepened but she continued to stare blankly at the floor. "Amy!" he demanded.

"No," she said finally, never looking up. It wasn't very convincing.

"…You're sure? I mean…it's not your fault if he did…and not your obligation to remain with him."

"He didn't," she insisted. He'd have to take her word for it.

"Then what is it? Please, tell me."

She sat there with broken breaths, taking an eternity to make the first word leave her, but then it all came out at once.

"_I don't know what to do._ I've committed myself to Shadow, but I…think I made a mistake…." Verbalizing her predicament made her break down again. Her regret wasn't without warrant; in Mobian culture, once a girl had given herself sexually to a male, she technically belonged to him for life. A number of species observed exceptions, but hedgehogs weren't one of them.

Sonic lowered his head. "It's my fault that this happened. If I'd been there for you, maybe you wouldn't have ended up with him. But," he added, looking back up, "let's not worry about what we can't change. We need to focus on what we can do now."

"What _can_ I do, Sonic? I have no choice…."

"Well, hold up. This isn't Mobius. As far as this world is concerned, you don't belong to him unless you marry him. People around here screw around all the time and think nothing of it."

Amy was quiet for a few seconds. "…But…Shadow…he doesn't care about that…."

"Then I'll go have a talk with him."

"No!" she said quickly. "Don't do that. It'll only make things worse! I don't wanna see either of you get hurt."

"Okay…all done deeds and assumptions and fears aside, what is it exactly that _you_ want?"

She peered into his eyes. "I want to be with you."

"…Euuuuuua," Sonic's voice fluctuated with the sound. "Heh…that…definitely complicates things."

She cast her gaze back down. "You don't want me…."

"I do, Amy. It's taken me all of these years and all this to realize it, but I do." Her eyes were back on him, blinking. "The problem is, if I step into this equation, there's _definitely_ going to be trouble." That was putting it lightly. If Shadow so much as suspected Sonic was trying to cut in, a death duel wouldn't be far on the horizon, of that much he was sure.

Amy let out a distraught sigh and pushed herself to her feet. "You see what I mean? How can I even think of leaving him when I know what will happen??" Sonic stood and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know, it's a sticky situation no matter what, but I want you to take your time and think it over and decide what's truly best for you. Whatever you decide, I will support you one hundred percent. I promise."

Amy's lips formed a meek smile. She threw her arms around Sonic in a grateful embrace. His hands slid around her back and pulled her in tight, completing the hug.

At Amy's request, Sonic remained with her in the apartment that day, talking, listening, and most importantly, letting her rest. By that evening she had decided that she would not return to Shadow until she had made up her mind one way or another. They stayed in and ordered a pizza, discussing a multitude of both important and ridiculous subjects she'd longed to bring up with him. After supper, she glanced at the clock.

"I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow," she lamented.

"Who knows, maybe it'll help clear your mind. But in any case, you should get to bed; you still look pretty tired," Sonic suggested. She nodded sullenly. "Meet you at the store at two, right?"

"Right. Good night, Sonic. Thanks again."

They exchanged one more hug, then parted for the night. Now it would be his turn to lose sleep, for tomorrow she would be making her final decision on what to do. Part of him wanted her to abandon Shadow for him, and part of him hoped she wouldn't. The hours passed with grueling slowness. He wandered the city and found frivolous ways to preoccupy himself, but still time seemed to ooze along. Then, three hours before Amy was due to get off work, there suddenly wasn't enough time. His gut became reacquainted with the nauseous knot it had met the other day. Like it or not, the answer was coming soon.

He found himself rushing to Mega Market at the last minute, still managing to arrive on time. Amy strode out the sliding doors, looking much better than she had the night before. He trotted up from behind and slowed to match her pace alongside her. Shadow's scent was still faintly present.

"Hey," she greeted him kindly but wearily.

"Hey, how was work?"

"Not bad."

"Hm. So, uh, have you…decided on anything?"

Amy looked down, hesitating to speak. "…Yes, but I'd rather not talk about it right now. Could we wait 'til we get home?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, no problem," Sonic uttered, his uneasiness festering.

When they got to the apartment, she rummaged through her purse as she wandered into her room. "Hold on a sec," she told him. Sonic stood by the sofa, waiting for her to come out, but she never did. Finally, he couldn't take it any longer.

"Amy?"

He made his way down the hall and peeked into her room. She was lying in bed, the sheets pulled up to her bare shoulders. His eyes traveled down to the pile that was her clothes on the floor. Opening her eyes and seeing him gaping in her doorway, she sat up with a sensual smile.

"Well?"

He could feel his face flush into a grin.


	6. The Fight

Chapter 6 – The Fight

"It's for you," Amy called to Sonic from the far end of aisle 14 in Mega Market. She tossed her cel phone to him as he strode up. "It's Chris."

"Hey, Chris," Sonic greeted after he depressed the speaker phone button. Amy's model wasn't designed with Mobians in mind, and he wasn't about to constantly move it from ear to mouth to ear like she always did.

"Sonic, wow, I never expected to get a hold of you through Amy!" Chris' voice carried from the speaker. "I've been trying everyone and everywhere else, and this was my last resort!" Sonic and Amy exchanged amused glances as he laughed. Even though the couple had been together for nearly two months, they'd kept their relationship so low-key that not even their friends knew about it. Chris went on, "But hey, guess what! My parents got me the Jaguar for my birthday!!"

"Sweet!! Congratulations!" Sonic replied.

"Thanks! Man, I love it!! I'm looking at it out in the driveway right now, and it's beautiful! And they said I can start driving it now so that I can get used to it before I take my driver's test! What are you doing right now? Are you busy?"

"Nah, I'm just picking up a few things at the grocery store."

"You wanna come over and check it out, take a ride in it?"

"Uhh….." Sonic glanced over at Amy, who smiled and nodded her approval. "Yeah, sure, I'll be right over!"

"Okay, see you in a few!"

After Chris and Sonic exchanged their goodbyes, Sonic snapped shut the cel phone and handed it back to Amy.

"That kid is so spoiled," he chuckled, then leaned over to address Amy's slightly bulging belly. "Don't you get any ideas!" Amy giggled.

"Meet me back at the apartment in time for supper, okay?" she requested.

"Sure thing. See ya later!" Sonic called on his way out.

A short while later, just outside of the Thorndyke mansion, the household butler Mr. Tanaka quickly fastened his safety belt in the passenger seat of Chris' new car. Sonic sat in the back with his arms crossed, wearing a wry grin.

"Wow, my feet are almost touching the seat in front of me," Sonic quipped. "This car's not made for human beings!" Chris only grinned all the more as he adjusted the mirrors.

"Okay, here we go!" the eager teen exclaimed as he started it up. He recited the vehicle's specs as they traveled in style to one of the massive malls of Station Square. "You got time to hang out here with us, Sonic?" he asked the reflection in his rearview mirror.

"Heck yeah! Pretzel Time!"

Inside the mall, they shopped and tried out a few arcade games and enjoyed fresh, butter-glazed pretzels while Mr. Tanaka engrossed himself in a book at Barnes & Noble. After a couple of hours, Sonic asked for the time.

"It's, uhhhh, 4:47," Chris returned.

"Yeah, I've gotta head out," Sonic informed him. "Thanks for the pretzel, and congrats again on the car!" He waved a hand behind him as he sped off.

"See you later!" Chris yelled after him.

Sonic was running at a comfortable pace and just about to pass the street leading to the mansion on his way to Amy's when a familiar smell wafted across his nose. He immediately skidded to a stop on the sidewalk. For a couple of seconds, only his breaths could be heard as he turned aside to look—then lunged sharply backward as a quill-bearing cannonball grazed his chest and smashed violently through the picket fence beside him.

"_Whoa!!_" Sonic exclaimed as he hopped back once more to gain some distance and balance. "Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed!" He'd been waiting for this. Shadow reappeared quickly, jumping clear over the fence and launching his tightly rolled up body at Sonic in another homing attack. Sonic countered it with one of his own, then sprinted away. The point was not to get away but to gain momentum. It was time to take this bastard down.

The battle continued down the street. Fences, signs, and the limbs of small trees lay splintered in their wake. A few drops of blood stained the concrete from superficial wounds on Sonic's chest. He resumed taunting Shadow as they caught their breath in the midst of somebody's front yard. "Talk about a sore loser. She doesn't want your alien ass! Get over it!"

That did the trick. Shadow's blood red eyes scorched with fury. He growled through his clenched teeth, "_We'll see who's the loser_," before charging again. Sonic took advantage of his slightly superior agility to tumble out of the way and under a birdbath, kicking its concrete basin into Shadow's face as he dropped his guard to pivot. The black and red hedgehog was completely taken by surprise, knocked off his feet into the shrubs lining the sidewalk. Sonic scrambled to his feet and rushed to see if his opponent was down for the count. Instead, he was alarmed to find two Mobian power rings there, fast disintegrating.

Whoever absorbed the power of at least one of these rings would be protected from physical harm; the rings would absorb any impact, but at the same time would also be expelled from the bearer and left in a highly deteriorated state that would cause them to crumble to dust within seconds. Shadow must have gone all the way back to Mobius to acquire them, as they were now extremely scarce on Earth. Seeing these meant that, though Shadow was _now_ vulnerable, he'd barely been phased by the birdbath. It only took Sonic a second to make this realization, but it was already too late. He jumped to avoid another homing attack from behind, nearly evading but taking a glancing blow to the side. Pain rifled through his chest as he smacked the ground, bouncing once and landing on his back. He gasped a breath and forced himself to his feet, attempting to retreat. He had to get out of there, or-

Another direct blow slammed Sonic against a telephone pole. The force of the impact made an audible crack. After hitting the ground again, he knew he wasn't getting back up. Struggling for a mere breath, he lifted his eyes just in time to see the victor standing triumphantly before him—and a high-end Jaguar careening their way. Sonic shut his eyes, barely noticing the sound of screeching wheels and shattering glass. After that, it seemed strangely quiet for a few seconds.

"Sonic!!!" Chris' frantic voice was coming toward him. He opened his eyes and saw his friend running around the front of the car to him. "Are you okay?! Can you get up??"

Sonic tried to speak, but it hurt just to breathe. All he could taste was the blood crawling from his mouth. His eyes searched for Shadow, but the other hedgehog was nowhere in sight. The Jaguar's windshield was completely shattered with a jagged, gaping hole near the center, smeared with blood. A little more blood was on the ground nearby. Tanaka emerged and hurried to Sonic's side as well.

"Help him up, Chris," Tanaka directed. "I'll drive." Sonic attempted to push himself upright but was overwhelmed with pain. Chris' hands were shaking as he carefully scooped him up from the ground. Even that was agonizing.

"I gotcha. We're gonna get you some first-aid," Chris spoke softly to him, voice quivering. He got into the passenger side as Tanaka took the driver's seat. The car made a U-turn and roared to the mansion, less than a minute away.

Once there, Tanaka opened the door for Chris. "Take him inside and put him on the couch. I know who to call." he told the boy. Chris complied, keeping Sonic pulled close to him as he made his way in. He immediately made a right and stepped into the roomy guest lounge, which hosted a large suede couch. He slowly let the bloody hedgehog out from under his arms onto the cushions' support. It helped ease the pain a little.

"You're gonna be okay," Chris tried to reassure him. "I'll be right back." He sprinted out of the room for a minute, then returned with a glass of water and a washcloth. He dropped to his knees by the couch and offered the glass. "You want some water?" Sonic turned his head away; he didn't even want to think about swallowing. Chris poured some of the water onto the cloth and gently wiped the blood from Sonic's muzzle. "Mr. Tanaka called the Mobian Center, so they're on their way," he mentioned, referring to the Mobian Research Team's medical staff.

"Call Amy…." Sonic strained to speak. Aside from the pain, she was the only thing he could think of. He could only imagine the ways Shadow might see fit to harm her. Chris blinked in recollection.

"Oh, oh yeah, Amy's the one who called and said that Shadow was looking for you! We called Uncle Sam and asked him to go get her and bring her here, just to be safe." Sonic closed his eyes and nodded, his concerns eased. "Wh—" Chris began again, but stopped short, "well, nevermind, you need to rest. We'll get everything figured out later." He started to get to his feet when Sonic spoke again.

"Chris…."

Chris froze and turned his eyes back on Sonic.

"Thanks...I owe you one."

"Sorry I got there too late." Chris' eyes were wet.

"No...," Sonic corrected him, "I should be dead."

The Mobian Research Team brought with it two vans full of portable equipment specially designed for use on Mobians. Ten MRT representatives poured into the mansion and within minutes had turned the guest lounge into a makeshift medical clinic. After checking Sonic's vitals and determining that he was stable, they injected a dose of painkiller and took several x-rays. As the team worked, one of the reps crouched by him as he began to breathe a bit easier.

"Sonic, my name is Dr. Garrett, and on behalf of the entire team I want to let you know that we're doing everything in our power to give you the best possible treatment, based on what we know about your species. Much of what we currently know is based on samples and data we have collected from your friend Amy, but it would be extremely helpful if we could collect some additional samples from you. In exchange for your consent to this sample collection, we would be happy to waive all charges for your treatment here. Would you be willing to allow us to conduct this research?"

"Go for it," Sonic mumbled. He'd give them one of his ears just to keep the painkillers coming.

"Excellent. We greatly appreciate your cooperation." Dr. Garrett presented him with a clipboard containing a few papers to sign.

Just then, the front door opened, and Chris' father came in, already aghast.

"Chris!!" Mr. Thorndyke immediately cried out, rushing over to the lounge. "What happened to your-" His jaw dropped as he spotted Sonic's broken body on the blood-stained couch.

"JIMMINY CHRISTMAS!!!"

Just about everyone tried to speak at once. Mr. Tanaka, who'd been in the kitchen, emerged holding a paper towel to a crash-sustained cut on his forehead. He took hold of Mr. Thorndyke's arm.

"Come in here and I'll explain everything," he yelled above the commotion as he led the mortified man into the kitchen.

After things settled back down, the medical team called everyone into the lounge and detailed Sonic's condition. Two of his ribs were broken, three more were cracked, and his sternum had been punctured. It wasn't as bad as they'd feared, but it was certainly bad enough. No surgery would be necessary, they said, but he would be in a lot a pain for a while and would need lots of rest.

Sam and Amy arrived next, also clearly unnerved by what they'd seen in the driveway. Far more upsetting, however, was the scene inside. Amy ran shrieking over to Sonic, who quickly raised a hand to ward off an excruciating embrace.

"Don't…" he croaked through his teeth, "touch……please…." She hovered there a few moments, then sank to her knees, sobbing and burying her face in the suede upholstery of the couch.

"_I'm sorry_," she whispered through the tears, barely audible.

"I'm glad you're okay," Sonic said softly. He glanced up at Sam, who was detailing the situation to Chris based on what Amy had told him on the way there. Something he muttered made Chris' eyes bulge. He quickly turned to the hedgehogs.

"You two are having a baby?!" he blurted out. The entire Mobian Research Team looked up.

"And she's due in three months," Sam added.

Chris choked.


	7. The Reflection

**Author's note: This is a graphic chapter. I believe the T rating still fits, but it may be a bit much for younger audiences. If you're underage, you have been warned! Also, I totally love and live on feedback and greatly appreciate your support! Just please remember to refrain from including spoilers in your reviews. Thankee muchly and enjoy the story!**

Part 3 - Shadow

Chapter 7 – The Reflection

Morning light was just beginning to break the rich purple sky. As Shadow the hedgehog lay curled in a growing pool of his own blood, his mind placidly reflected on the events that had led up to this point, just as it had been carefully engineered to do.

Since the day he was released from his 50-year slumber, his life had trailed into the discovery of one detestable secret after another. It was only after forging a history of hatred and bloodshed that he'd come to deny the dark purpose for which he'd been conceived, but doing so had also forced him to detach himself from the things dearest to him. In the years that followed he'd traveled to the ends of Mobius and Earth, searching for a new objective on which to construct his life's ambitions. No matter where he went, however, he found himself aimlessly wandering and watching life exist like the alien outsider he essentially was. It eventually occurred to him that, if he was to ever find his unique place in life, he'd first have to come to terms with the opposite. He would have to understand what it meant to be normal.

Seabright Beach, his chosen location, placed him in the midst of an abundance of social activity and was also close to the portal leading to Mobius. He discovered an abandoned beach house in the unpopular outskirts of the area that suited his needs, which were few. From there he gradually began to familiarize himself with the layout, the locals, and the inner workings of the culture. The individuals who made their own living on the beach soon became accustomed to the sight of a black and red Mobian hedgehog roving the premises, but due to his unrefined social grace few were able to relate to him.

The change first began in late spring of that year, when he manipulated what he'd learned through observation in order to arrange an informal trade credit between several local vendors and the construction company initiating a major expansion project on site. The businesses involved held him in much fonder regard after that, and countless additional transactions soon followed. Goods and supplies became tender for other goods and supplies, and for his service, which varied depending on each circumstance but usually entailed delivery, his grateful "clients" gladly included him in the benefits. He rarely received money, but his every need beyond lodging was met and even surpassed. He'd managed to successfully integrate himself into society at last…and yet, he sensed, something in his life remained unfulfilled.

Shadow had made his life at Seabright Beach for several months before the day he encountered Amy on the boardwalk. In certain, subtle ways, she still reminded him of Maria. It was primarily that fact that caused him to approach her, but pure pity motivated his helping her with the skates. He, too, assumed their encounter that day to be an isolated incident. Seeing her on the bird poop bench the following afternoon caused him to take a greater interest in her presence. A new concept began to occur to him—that Maria had always comprehended something in humankind he never could—and that Amy, who shared this trait, could very well be the key to grasping it himself, which in turn would perhaps finally fill the void in him. He began at that moment to devise possible ways to entice her to return so that he could extract this from her. Unfortunately, his musing leer was not well received, and within seconds Amy was gone. Having his objective disappear before he could even begin to pursue it caused him to reconsider. Even upon receiving her apology two days later, he was hesitant to further ponder the notion—until she offered to come back. From that point forward, his every interaction with her was made toward that end.

Over the two weeks that followed, Shadow carefully opened himself just enough to gain Amy's trust. It became quite an interesting experience, but not without its obstacles. Probably the worst of it was getting past the jokes and questions from vendors who referred to Amy as his girlfriend. A dirty look or cutthroat gesture was usually all it took to shut them up. Second worst was Amy's frequent indecisiveness; it annoyed him greatly. It wasn't long before he took to a running half-joke in which he'd tell her the same line:

"Make up your mind or I'll do it for you."

During those days, Shadow began to see Amy less and less as a reminder of Maria and more for the individual she was. An appreciation formed for her eccentric humor, quirky tastes, and gargantuan appetite…and along with it, a new feeling. It was something he'd never quite felt before, being similar in ways to what he'd always felt for Maria, yet somehow different. Amy's eyes began to take on an emerald's sparkle, and her figure a beauty all its own. For the first time in his life, he began to lose interest in his objective—but perhaps that was only because he had already begun to achieve it.

The night Amy came to the beach house was a total surprise. He'd just begun to doze when a voice from downstairs startled him back to his senses. Assuming it was another bunch of drunk teens, he hopped off the bed and slipped into the shadows, waiting. They usually left without having to be scared off. Then she called out his name. He watched in silent wonder as she ascended the steps and walked right by him without even realizing it. She smelled delicious. His fledgling feelings quickly mutated into a searing desire…yet he knew if he revealed his presence to her now she'd scream the entire roof off the place, a very bad thing when no one was even supposed to be in there. He stalked her with the stealth of his name, closing in as she reached over the bed. At the right moment, his left hand whipped around her throat while the other enclosed her arms and waist, pulling her back against him. His clutch tightened as she emitted a shriek, cutting off the sound. She was absolutely paralyzed with terror, the poor kitten. Seemed she didn't know what to do; it was about time he made up her mind for her.

"Relax," he whispered, which did seem to calm her a little, though she was still shaking and gasping for air. He lifted his nose to her ears. The scent was excellent. The faint presence of a certain blue hedgehog was paid no mind. Slowly, sensually, he licked the back of her right ear. Among Mobian hedgehogs, this was the strongest form of sexual advance one could make outside of force. Amy's breathing completely halted, conveying her shock. Her pounding heart was the only thing he could feel. At that point he waited, loosening his grip…but she did nothing. He proceeded to tongue caress her ear again, and then the other, and finally she took a breath. Still she made no move. His right arm receded from her waist and slid down her hip to the hem of her dress. Her arms were free…and at last she motioned, placing her right hand upon his, pulling it gently back up her side along with the dress. Her other hand took hold of the one holding her neck, guiding it down to her breast. She then proceeded to push down the side of her panties opposite to that he held. He completed the gesture, and he entered her for the first time that night.

Little was said. They had intercourse several more times as the hours progressed, as was customary among Mobians. Licking her ears now served another purpose, being to transfer his scent to her so that there would be no doubt among potential suitors that he'd claimed her as his own. As night gave way to early morning, he left her asleep in bed while he sought breakfast. He returned with some fresh fruit for her, but she was gone.

Though their relationship had not been founded on the strongest of emotional ties, he had no reason not to expect her to return. The day was spent inside the beach house, tidying up and hiding away things she might find disturbing, such as the dynamite he'd acquired from the construction company. The evening was spent along the beach, watching, waiting, to no avail. After a week it was clear that she wasn't coming back. The realization, even under the circumstances, was painful to him. She had indeed come to hold a special place in his heart.

Never one to simply accept the hand he'd been dealt, Shadow traveled to Station Square and began a systematic search for Amy. He checked the usual sources of information, but her name was unlisted in the phone book and Internet white pages. Determined, he sifted through the city one neighborhood at a time. It took several weeks, but at last his efforts paid off. On the day he finally tracked her down, she was cutting through a park with a couple of corn husk grocery bags in each hand and her purse hanging from her arm.

"Long time, no see, Amy," he stated with a dark calmness as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree. She immediately froze in her tracks, eyes widened into saucers. Her arms quickly pulled the bags up in front of her. "I was beginning to get the feeling that you weren't coming back." His voice grew more bitter as he approached. Her mouth opened, waiting for words, and she began to step back. He hadn't expected her to be so fearful. It was not as if he'd ever harmed her. Something wasn't adding up….

And then he caught the scent.

He stopped, fixing his seething eyes on her. She drew a shaking breath, then all at once dropped the bags and fled the way she'd come. He caught up to her easily, grinding his foot into the ground in front of her as he cut her off, then grabbed her arm and jerked her screaming up to him. _It was definitely Sonic._

"Please, let go," Amy baaed like a lamb, near tears. "I'm sorry…it…it's not what I wanted…." She pried at the hand clutching her.

"And he is?" he asked, voice remaining calm. He released her arm and stared as she quickly backed away--and that's when her protruding belly caught his eye. He blinked, quiet for a moment. This was quite the development.

"Who's the father?" he bluntly inquired, resuming eye contact. She hesitated.

"Sonic…."

Shadow cracked a malicious smile. "Not for long." He turned and began to head out when Amy cried out after him.

"Wait!"

He turned sharply and glared at her once more. "I'll deal with you later."

He departed the area briskly and headed straight for the Mobius Monorail Station. The situation warranted drastic measures, for what Sonic had done was of the highest possible offense. Absolutely no one claimed a female already in another male's possession unless he had a death wish. As he came out of the station in Mobius, Shadow set off to find some golden life insurance. He didn't have to look far. Two power rings were suspended over a creek less than a mile from the station. He collected them with a single swipe of the arm and set his sights back on Station Square.

The next step was to find Sonic. Shadow scaled the parabola supports of the Golden Gate Bridge and scanned the city from his vantage point. One superiority of his being the ultimate life form was the ability to tune in to just what he sought with a hawk's pinpoint accuracy. Once he had sighted his target, he tore out of his position and honed in.

Shadow crouched in wait as his victim fast approached. He counted down the seconds…and then launched. The slight breeze in the air betrayed his position, however, giving Sonic the millisecond he needed to lunge out of the way. A single quill sliced across the blue hedgehog's chest. The battle raged on for several minutes, finally reaching its climax when a birdbath basin met his face. Spared by his rings, he landed in the cover of the shrubs and took the opportunity to roll aside and prepare his next attack. Sonic's distraction was his undoing; Shadow lunged again, this time hitting his mark. Sonic hit the ground hard, but he recovered quickly and began to flee. Shadow couldn't afford to allow even two seconds to pass, or his opportunity would be gone. He flung himself at Sonic again, this time landing a direct blow. The victory was his. He unrolled in midair and landed just in front of his crushed opponent. He was about to finish him with a break of the neck when the car barreled onto the scene. Hearing it coming, Shadow turned to see it clear the curb and head straight for him. He leaped to avoid it, but the hood clipped his quills and sent him smashing right into the windshield, after which he tumbled off the side. He gasped in pain as his landing drove a shard of glass deeper into his abdomen. Now it was his turn to retreat.

Blood trickled down Shadow's legs as he made his way back toward Seabright Beach. Skating was impossible, and even walking was difficult; his every move sent sharp pains stabbing through. He stopped frequently to rest and attempt to remove the glass stuck in him, but it was so deeply embedded that he couldn't even grasp it. The moon was already setting by the time he reached the beginning of the boardwalk, where the extensive construction project was well underway. He knew what he needed here. With an agonizing jump he cleared a partition wall and landed within an enclosure otherwise inaccessible without a key. A few toolboxes and several other supplies were stacked inside. Shadow opened a box and fished out a pair of needlenose pliers. He took a deep breath, then grasped the glass shard and yanked it out. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was over three inches across, much larger than he'd realized. His now open wound eagerly spilled his blood. He dropped the tool and clapped both hands over it, doubling over. Removing the glass himself had been a bad mistake. Catching his breath, he pushed himself back upright and attempted to leap back out of the enclosure, only now the damage was taking its toll. He struck the partition on the way over and landed with a cruel thud on the concrete foundation…where he remained…and where he would soon die.


	8. The Pain

Chapter 8 – The Pain

Shadow drew a peaceful breath as his suffering eased into serenity. A gentle hand stroked his quill, and the concrete beneath him became a warm lap. The voice of Maria comforted him like that of an angel.

"Everything's going to be okay…."

Maria…when he needed her most, she had always been there for him. She, in the end, had been his only true friend and companion. Why had he insisted on pushing her from his memories? A pang of guilt pierced his heart, spawning a tear that slipped from his closed eyes. He wanted to remain with her like this forever, where he would never be hurt or betrayed ever again.

But he didn't.

The emotional pain gathered into a dull stomachache, which then intensified into a debilitating agony enveloping most of his body. At the same time, he was somehow terribly, thoroughly cold. Consciousness followed, and his eyes opened to a strange room littered with empty cans and fast food packaging. His nose picked up the smell of beer and used cigarettes. He slowly began to realize that he was tucked into someone's bed. As his hazy mind struggled to put the pieces together, a balding, pot-bellied, middle-aged man strode into the room. Shadow recognized him to be Phil, one of the construction workers he'd met at the beach. Phil's brow lifted when he noticed Shadow was awake.

"Heeeeeey, ya pulled through! Wow, you had me really worried there for a while! I came into work this morning, and it was all dark outside still, and when I tried to pull my lighter out of my pocket, you know, to light my cigarette, I dropped it, and it landed in this _huge_ pool of blood, and there you were right in the middle of it! What the hell happened to you, man??" Shadow could barely comprehend anything Phil was saying, but he did get the gist of the question.

"…_Car_…." his voice barely scraped out. Phil gaped.

"No shit?! Boy, I hope they catch the son of a bitch who hit you! You're lucky to be alive, 'cause when I went over to check you I seriously thought you were dead already, 'cause you were that cold! I didn't even think you had that much blood!" Phil squatted by the bed and gingerly pulled the covers off Shadow. "I took ya to the vet and got you stitched up right here," he added, pointing to the near-fatal wound on his belly. "I can hardly tell where it's at; the stitches blend right in with your fur." He replaced the blankets over the hedgehog. "They gave you some plasma too, to help make up for the blood loss. They didn't know how the hell you survived either!"

Shadow closed his eyes again. Listening to this guy's ramblings was making him feel worse.

"But yeah, just take it easy for a while, and stay under the covers. You're welcome to stay here as, uh, as long as you need. I'll get you moved over to the futon as soon as I get the crap cleared off of it."

The man's footsteps traveled into another room, where cardboard and foam boxes could be heard tumbling to the floor along with plastic bottles and more empty cans. A hand swept off a fabric surface with several strokes. The hypnotic rhythm combined with Shadow's anemia-induced dizziness and disorienting pain muddled him back to sleep.

Before him, a large cookie lay on a table. He stood examining it, watching the chocolate chips come alive into fat, round spiders. They scurried energetically over the cookie's surface as he took it into his hands and consumed it. Within him, he could feel the spiders sinking their fangs in, devouring him from the inside out. He wheezed as they crawled up his throat...and coughed with horrific pain back into the waking world.

Now he was lying facing Phil's living room on a smelly futon. His body was wrapped head to toe in a fleece blanket; his disoriented mind imagined him looking like a giant nesting doll that had toppled on its side. It'd have almost been amusing if he weren't so miserable. He desperately needed water. He wormed around a bit, attempting to free himself from the blanket's confines, but he only succeeded in torturing himself. Phil emerged from the bedroom with a bulging trash bag in hand.

"Ohhh, heh heh, sorry about that. You seemed kinda cold so I wrapped you up real good. How ya feelin'? Can I get you anything?"

Shadow could barely get the word out. His clueless acquaintance leaned in and turned a wax laden ear his way. "Huh?" He listened as Shadow whispered again. "Oh, water? Sure thing!" He walked into the adjoining kitchen area and grabbed a McDonald's cup off the counter, rinsing it out and filling it with cold tap from the sink. Back at the futon, he squatted with an overweight grunt and handed the cup to Shadow. The hedgehog kept a feeble grip as he squeezed the straw between his teeth and slowly sipped the precious liquid. "Can I get you anything to eat? I'm thinkin' you probably don't have much of an appetite right now." Shadow closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, didn't think so. All right, I'll be watching some TV; you just holler if you need anything. –Oh!" The man tromped over to his easy chair and pulled a few pages free of his newspaper, then lifted Shadow's legs and slid them under. "Just do your business on those, okay?"

The next few hours were some of the worst in Shadow's life. The pain was immense, now blending fiercely with soreness from the fight and his impact with the windshield itself. _Everything_ hurt. He watched helplessly as a roach crawled by his face. Worse still, the TV was in the same room, blaring reruns of corny sitcoms while Phil snored in his chair. Shadow passed the time by calculating about how many more days of this he would have to endure before he would be able to leave, as well as where he would go from there. He came to the conclusion that his recovery would be best made in Mobius. Then he would have his sweet revenge, oh yes. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, he lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Shadow sat quietly on the bird poop bench, turning his gaze aside to behold Amy, who sat cheerfully beside him. He felt as if he were back in time, when his intentions were pure and he held only admiration of her innocence and inner beauty. On the boardwalk before them the usual scores of people passed by, but they made no sound. Instead he could hear the rush of the ocean's tides, the seagulls, and her sweet voice.

"Want to walk with me?"

His eyes opened to the darkness and still of the night. Phil had shut off the TV and gone to bed. The only light in the room emanated from his blinking VCR. Slowly, Shadow reached his arm under the blanket and, with two fingers, firmly pinched his stitched wound until the waiting tears ran out.

He didn't want to sleep anymore; it only served to deepen the pain.


	9. The Big Day

Part 4

Chapter 9 – The Big Day

In light of the condition of both Sonic and Amy, as well as the unfavorable circumstances that had brought them there, it was decided that they should both stay in the Thorndyke mansion for the time being. The Mobian Research Team remained a constant presence as well, reducing its staff count in the household but always having at least three people there at any given moment. They tended to the hedgehogs' every need aside from meals and entertainment, the unmet two being happily provided by the family.

"Guess who's having chili dogs!!" Chris announced as he emerged from the kitchen holding a platter full of the specialty. A grin stretched across Sonic's face. As he eased himself upright on the couch, Chris presented the platter before him with an exaggerated bow. "And which one will you be selecting this evening, Monsieur?" he asked in a horrible French accent. He knew that normally Sonic could devour at least two of them in a sitting, but since sustaining his injuries his appetite had been a fraction of its normal capacity. After Sonic had removed his chosen dog, the platter was extended to Amy, who was sitting beside him. "And you, Madame?" She snorted at the title.

"I'm afraid I'm not married just yet," she remarked, casting a mock glare at Sonic. Mobians didn't customarily officiate their unions with wedding ceremonies, but ever since Amy had been introduced to the concept on Earth years ago, she hadn't stopped bringing it up. Once she had made her selection, Chris turned to face the MRT staff in the room.

"Would you guys like any? We've got plenty!" They politely declined. He turned back and peered at Sonic, breaking into laughter. "I hope you don't need any more excrement samples!" He covered his reddened face as he continued to laugh on his way out of the room. The MRT reps chuckled, and Sonic grimaced after an amused wheeze.

"It hurts…to laugh…." he uttered good naturedly between breaths, placing his free hand on his chest. Amy sat with her chili dog suspended in front of her open mouth, eyelids fluttering in repulsion. Chris had exhibited this kind of giddiness ever since he had overcome the initial shock of recent events. Having Sonic and Amy back in the place had made things feel somewhat like old times for him, and in turn, his pep was helping lift everyone else's spirits. The atmosphere was much needed and well received.

A couple of minutes later, as she chewed her meal, Amy turned to see how Sonic was faring. "…Need any help?" she offered.

"I got it."

She was quiet for a few moments, staring at her half-eaten dog, then voiced her thoughts. "I know I brought this up not that long ago, but…won't you at least consider it?" Sonic glanced over at her, waiting for clarification but having a good idea where this was headed. "I mean, like you said, we are on Earth, so we should do things they way they do here."

He swallowed the last of his meal. "I never said that. I said that we're not on Mobius so we shouldn't be bound to that culture."

"It's the same thing, basically," she insisted, lowering her own food to her lap. "Why are you so against it? I can take care of the planning and the invitations and everything. All you'd have to do is show up!"

Sonic propped his elbow on the armrest and leaned his face into his hand. "Amy…I really don't wanna talk about this right now…." She heaved a sigh but backed off the issue for the sake of his comfort. He didn't need to be stressed out right now.

Ella rounded the corner with a plate in hand. "Anyone ready for dessert? How was the chili?" She set the plate on the coffee table as the hedgehogs both chimed their compliments to the chef. "Good, good, thank you, it was my grandmother's recipe! I also made some cookies, but these are from a mix. I didn't have time to mess with making them from scratch," she laughed.

"Fine with me," Sonic grunted, trying to lean forward.

"Here, I'll get you one." Amy quickly grabbed one of the treats and handed it to him, then took one for herself. "Thanks, Ella!"

"Yeah, you're the best!" Sonic added.

"You're welcome. You two need your strength!" She beamed at them before turning and heading out of the room.

Sonic leaned back gently, getting a better look at his dessert. It was a soft sugar cookie loaded with miniature M&Ms., still warm from the oven. He gazed at it, deep in thought.

It was only a matter of time before the dog came back.

---------------------------------------

"Hey, uh, Shadow?" Phil tried to rouse the resting hedgehog after hanging up the phone.

"…………Hm?" Shadow's face stayed buried in his blanket, trying to comfort his throbbing head.

"I got a guest comin' over soon, name's Andrea, who wanted to drop by. I told her you were here and to make sure to smoke outside and everything. She's really interested in meeting you."

Shadow took a deep, long breath, ignoring the pain that came with it. From what he'd heard of the conversation Phil just had, the two were in some kind of sickening relationship...sickening because even Phil was wanted by someone.

"Mm."

Phil disappeared into the bathroom to wash up, granting Shadow about ten minutes of precious quiet, something of which he'd been in horrendously short supply. Even in the day, while Phil was at work, there was no relief; the ogres that lived upstairs saw to that. He had just begun to doze off when a metal-bearing hand rapped at the door, causing him to jump. His stitched stomach viciously bit back in protest of the jolt. He lifted his head, fuming. Phil dashed out of the bathroom to the door, face half shaved, half coated with foamy cream.

"Heeeeey, you got here quick!" he greeted loudly with a hearty chuckle.

"Huh, yeah, go finish shaving! Don't stand around lookin' like that!" A middle-aged blonde with premature wrinkles shuffled in, waving Phil away with both hands. Phil made his way back to the sink but poked his head back out and pointed at Shadow with his razor.

"Oh, that's Shadow right there. You two can get acquainted while I finish up in here!"

"All right," Andrea called back, setting her purse at the edge of the futon. She took a seat on the left side, next to where he lay in the middle. "Hi there, I'm Andrea," she introduced herself in a raspy voice that reeked of smoke. Her hand extended, ready to shake. Shadow put on a fake but convincing smile as he took it.

"I'm Shadow. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he lied. As she proceeded to serve up a helping of mindless small talk, he carefully pulled himself back to the opposite end of the futon, sliding out of the covers like a cocoon. Andrea's eyes widened as she beheld the rest of him.

"Oh my gosh, you look awful!!" she squeaked. "Phil, get out here! How come you're letting him look like this?!"

"Huh?" Phil came out, patting his face with a hotel-embroidered towel.

"Look at him; his fur's all matted with blood! He needs a bath!"

Shadow's entire body tensed at the word.

"Oh…well…." Phil hesitated.

"I'm-I'm fine," Shadow tried to assert, but Andrea was already on her feet.

"C'mon, Phil, bring him in here." She led the way into the bathroom. "It'll only take a minute, and he'll look and feel a lot better!"

Phil grunted under his breath to Shadow, "Once she gets her mind set on something, may as well just get it over with." He scooped up the hedgehog, who reflexively curled in pain. "Sorry…." The tub's faucet opened wide, releasing its dragon roar. Suddenly Shadow felt as though he were being taken to the guillotine. He started to squirm in Phil's arms. "Whoop, easy does it!" his fat executioner cautioned. As he was brought into the bathroom, he could see Andrea pouring some lilac-scented bubble bath into the water.

"See, it's a good thing I left this here!" she praised herself, then turned to Phil and Shadow. "Okay, let's get these off." She took hold of one of Shadow's legs and pulled his skate off, then did the other. When she went for his gloves, he pulled his arms away and nestled his fists on the opposite size of his face. She laughed, "Come onnn, don't be shy!" After a brief struggle, the gloves too were off. As Andrea shut off the tap, Phil waddled up to the tub and lowered Shadow in. The hot water submerging his wounds may as well have been acid. He squeezed his eyes shut and heaved shallow breaths through his gaping maw. A dull red cloud began to form around him. Andrea patted Phil's shoulder as he stood up. "Thanks, Hon. I'll take care of the rest. Could you go and make me a drink?"

"Sure, sounds good, I could use one myself," Phil replied as he dried his hands and headed out of the room. Shadow clenched his teeth and winced as he turned over and then pushed himself upright. As he caught his breath, his teeth began to chatter from the shock to his system. Andrea seemed oblivious to his suffering as she grabbed a washcloth, dunked it in the water, and began to scrub his quills and back. He closed his eyes, lowered his head…and then got down to business.

"So, uh, have you and Phil been friends a long time?" Shadow asked, trying not to let the pain creep into his voice.

"Oh yeah, we been more than friends, goin' out for a couple of years now," Andrea answered with a chuckle.

"Hm. So, when he goes out every n-" Shadow began, pausing abruptly with snapped open eyes upon having his rump wiped, "…every night, he's going out to be with you?" he finished with gritted teeth. Andrea's brow sank as she looked at him.

"…No…. He's been going out every night?" she asked, to which he nodded innocently. Her mouth hung open for a few seconds. "…He told me he was too tired to go out and was goin' to bed!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shadow quickly said, turning his head down "I shouldn't have said anything. Please don't tell him I told you. I don't want him to be mad at me," he pleaded with feigned fear.

"……I won't," she finally assured him, hurt and anger building in her eyes. "…Okay, let's get you out of there and dried off. See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"No, I do feel better," he lied again. "Thanks, Andrea."

"No problem, sweetheart." He closed his eyes and cracked a smile as she patted him on the head. If he'd played his cards right, he wouldn't be putting up with her anymore. Sure enough, Andrea didn't stay long after that, and there were no more visits from her in the days that followed. She wouldn't even return Phil's phone calls, and he didn't have a clue why.

Finally, the morning came when Shadow opened his eyes and knew he was well enough to leave. A rustling sound from the kitchen told him that Phil had not yet left for work. He sat up quietly and watched the man go about his business, debating whether he should say anything. His train of thought derailed when he noticed Phil sniffing and wiping tears from his cheeks. It suddenly occurred to Shadow how he'd repaid Phil, someone he hardly knew, for saving his life and opening his home to him. He stared at the floor and frowned.

"Oh," Phil sniffed once more and tried to look normal, "sorry if I woke you. I was trying to see if I had any Diet Coke left in the back of the fridge. You hungry? Can I get you anything before I head out?"

"No thank you."

"Aiiight, well, I'll see you later. Just give me a call if anything comes up." Phil grabbed his hard hat and bag lunch and exited the apartment. Shadow sighed in the empty room, then examined his wound. He stretched and bent this way and that. It was still very tender, but he was definitely ready. He sluggishly got to his feet and solidly stood under his own power for the first time since he went down. Making his way into the kitchen, he helped himself to four slices of wheat bread, for much-needed energy. It was going to be a long trip to Mobius.

Shadow opened the front door and turned the lock on the knob to engage it. As he stepped outside and started to close the door behind him, he came to a stop and sighed again, then turned around and went back inside. He walked into Phil's bedroom, where he'd seen a personal computer, and sat down in front of it. A list of site names and passwords was taped to the bottom of the monitor. Shadow made use of the convenient information to access Phil's PayPal account, then put it to work.

Shortly after finishing his meager lunch on site, Phil's cel phone started to vibrate. He was shocked to check the caller ID and see Andrea's name.

"Phil, thanks for the flowers. They're really nice," she said, leaving him in a slack-jawed silence. "And, uh, I think it'd be good to talk too. We got some things to straighten out."

---------------------------------------

The grueling weeks eased as Sonic's battered body mended itself bit by bit. With each passing day, a gradual shift took place in which the center of attention turned from him to his ever-enlarging mate. Finally, the day came when Amy's baby was ready to be born. A number of the family's closest friends and relatives showed up, as well as Tails, Cream and Cheese, Knuckles…and a handful of reporters and few dozen curious onlookers. It wouldn't be the first Mobian birth to take place on Earth, but it would be the first hedgehog. That, and the couple were something of a celebrity item, after all.

"Private……event!!" Ella strained to get the words out as she forced the front door shut against the barrage of uninvited visitors.

Upstairs, a special room had been prepared just for the purpose of delivery. Amy lay in a bed surrounded by several MRT reps, where she'd been in labor since that morning. Guests filled the other side of the room and spilled out into the hallway, chatting amongst themselves. Sonic paced in their midst, quietly picking up bits of conversations. Some were commenting on the new baby room next door in all its cuteness, while others discussed marriage and the age of consent, which he learned was 18 in California. Some conversations had nothing to do with him.

"Sonic, stop pacing; you're making us nervous!" Knuckles urged as he turned from Tails and Cream. The latter two laughed in agreement.

"Does it always take this long?" Sonic wondered aloud. "It's frickin' drivin' me nuts!"

"I'm sure it won't be much longer," Knuckles said, actually having no idea.

The cluster of MRT reps suddenly tightened into a human wall, and a small commotion could be heard from within. Everyone else stopped and stared breathlessly, though no one could see a thing. Moments later, the meek cries of a newborn tickled their ears . A collective hush overtook the staff for a few moments, then one turned to the crowd.

"It's a boy!" Cheers and applause filled the room. Several hands and voices began to nudge Sonic forward, who was standing motionless. He blinked and slowly made his way over, then squeezed into the midst of the staff. The tiny bundle was passed from Amy to Dr. Garrett, who offered it to Sonic.

"Congratulations."

As he gently received it into his arms, he looked upon it for the first time, a tiny nose protruding from the blanket. Sonic cracked a smile and pulled the linen away, revealing a jet black body with pale red quill nubs.

_Oh._

He stood staring numbly as others came to see. An awkward silence fell over them as the realization began to set in. Knuckles slipped in and peeked over Sonic's shoulder.

"Oh wow…he looks nothing like you!"

Another awkward silence ensued.


	10. The Unthinkable

**Author's Note: See Amy and the baby in another great pic from Sonic Rose! www(dot)teamartail(dot)com/oekaki/pictures/17406(dot)png**

**(Be sure to change each (dot) to a period!)**

Chapter 10 – The Unthinkable

"Congratulations," a polite voice finally sliced through the tension from somewhere in the crowd, soon followed by many more. Multiple new conversations erupted among the guests, melding into an unintelligible racket. Knuckles' red face nearly matched his body as Sonic turned and glared at him for his brainless comment.

"…Sorry…." Knuckles muttered just above his breath. He stared at the infant, at a loss for anything else to say. Sonic could see the speculation in the echidna's eyes and smoldered with disgust.

"Here," was his only word as he roughly handed the baby over. _Now you can look at it all you want._ Knuckles quickly shifted his surprised hands to support the tiny hedgehog, who began to cry. Sonic didn't even twitch an ear at the sound as he walked off. He brushed past gawking onlookers, only pausing to clutch his aching chest for a moment before continuing on his way out and downstairs. Amy, who'd lain watching the exchange, frowned deeply.

"Here, Knuckles. I'll take him," she offered. He quickly came bedside and passed the baby to her, apologizing again. "It's all right," she told him, gazing into the tearful eyes of her son. She pulled the baby close and planted a gentle kiss on his tiny forehead.

Though the researchers didn't possess any biological samples from Shadow, they were well aware of his existence due to his high-profile activity a few years back. Sonic's reaction to the baby had virtually confirmed what they'd suspected upon delivery. Even those guests who were completely ignorant of the circumstances were left to wonder what was amiss. Dr. Garrett wasted no time approaching Amy.

"With your permission, we'd like to do some bloodwork on the baby and run a few tests to verify that he's in good health," he explained to her, but both knew full well that this specimen offered a wealth of exciting new data for them to analyze. She had no reason to fear they'd do him any harm, at least.

"Yeah, but could we give him a few days first?"

"Certainly. Just let us know whenever you think you can bear to turn him loose for a few minutes." He smiled. "When my first son was born, my wife wouldn't let anybody else touch him for a week." Amy smiled back for a second but quickly faulted as her thoughts returned to Sonic.

A couple of blocks down the street, Sonic was briskly walking off steam. It seemed to be doing more harm than good, however. What he really wanted to do was take off like an armed nuclear missile across the countryside, but his condition was preventing him from doing so, which only added to his frustration. The embarrassing scene stuck frozen in his mind. It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility that the baby could be Shadow's; in fact, he'd convinced himself that, no matter whose it was, he'd be okay with it. But now that the black-and-red-quilled reality was staring him in the face, he found that it wasn't so easy to simply accept. He didn't even want to go back to the mansion, not until the guests had left. Just the thought of having to raise that _thing_ made him not want to go back at all.

His irate eyes fleetingly darted to his right as they detected the Jaguar rolling up alongside him, its windshield long since having been restored. Chris opened the window and yelled out.

"Dude! Not cool! Everyone's wondering where you went, and Amy's crying! This is not the time to be showin' out!"

Sonic ground to a halt. "That's easy for you to say, Chris! You're not the one stuck with a kid that belongs to someone ya hate! I'll have to look at that every day for the rest of my life!"

Chris released a sharp breath. "Get into the car. We need to talk."

"No!" Sonic jerked himself back about and resumed walking.

"Sonic! Get in the car!!" The Jaguar's front left tire climbed clumsily onto the sidewalk. "Shit…." Sonic stopped and rolled his eyes as Chris corrected his crawling vehicle.

"Maybe she's better off with him," Sonic said plainly.

Chris took an unusually sharp tone, "Maybe you should be talking to _her_ about this," then paused to glance back at the road, "…instead of standing out here where it's frickin' freezin'!" His fingers curling around the steering wheel were red in the January air. "Come on, get in the car. Please." Sonic stood with his arms crossed, blinking in consideration, then made his way around the vehicle to the passenger side. He carefully opened the door and eased himself in, supporting his side with one hand as he pulled the door shut with the other. Chris put the car in park and gladly closed his window.

"You told me that she slept with Shadow before you two got together, so you knew this was a possibility," the young driver pointed out as he propped his left arm on the steering wheel. Sonic remained quiet and stared straight at the glove compartment. "I'm not saying this should be…easy or anything like that, but you really need to be there for her now. I mean, how do you think she feels, seeing you just dump the kid and take off?" The impact of the words softened Sonic's expression. "The most important thing you can do right now is _talk_ to her. Communicate. Let her know how you feel."

Finally, Sonic looked over at him. "Can we go?"

Chris sighed and placed the car back in drive, mumbling under his breath. "_Nice talk_…."

Back at the mansion, Sonic was displeased to see that most of the guests still remained. He kept his eyes down as he slipped by them up the stairs, down the hall, and into the delivery room. Amy peered over nervously as he entered. He only made eye contact for a moment before glancing at the creature in her arms, then away, bitter. Tails shuffled over to him from the mingling crowd as he made his way around the foot of the bed to Amy's side. He stared down at a couple of spots of dried blood on the sheet.

"…Sorry I ran off," he mumbled. Amy didn't respond within the two seconds before Tails spoke.

"Hey, Sonic, we've been thinking of names for the baby." He waved Knuckles over, who hesitantly approached, Cream trailing behind. "What do you think of…Chip?"

"Chip," Sonic echoed blankly.

"Or how about Chester?" Cream chimed in. "Or maybe Ash!"

"Or Cole," Tails suggested. "Cole sounds pretty good."

"……Pepper!" Cream brought up. Amy almost giggled at that one.

"Pepper's more of a girl's name."

Tails mused. "Uhhhhhhhhh……Ebony?"

There was an extended silence, and then Knuckles spoke up.

"…Sonic Jr.?"

Sonic's face quickly grudged. "Why don't you just shut up?!"

"What??" Knuckles threw his hands out in exasperation.

"You've always got some stupid comment to make!" His shouting was quickly overlapped by Knuckles' own as they got in each other's face. It wasn't long before people were staring and the baby started crying again. Ears flattened, Tails ducked down and popped back up between the two, shoving them apart.

"Stop it!!"

Sonic and Knuckles both staggered back, only Sonic turned and doubled over with his hand on his chest, grunting. Tails slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Sonic, ohmygosh, I'm sorry! I forgot! Are you okay?"

"Sonic?" Amy's face paled.

One of the MRT reps hurried over. "Are you all right?"

"…I'm fine," he growled through his teeth, leaning against the bed.

With naming the baby having been postponed, Sonic spent the rest of the afternoon secluded in one of the mansion's guest rooms, where the literal piles of gifts he and Amy had received from friends, relatives, and complete strangers were being stored. Half of the room was already full of presents they'd received over Christmas. Of course, the majority were intended for the baby, many being custom made by companies working in conjunction with the Mobian Research Team, hoping to secure a generous niche in the rapidly expanding industry. Sonic opened several and looked over their contents. There were clothes, toys, tools, and a number of innovative accessories. He wound up a hedgehog-shaped clock and stood it atop the packages before him. It ticked loudly each second. Sonic guided its quill-like hands with his finger to the correct time.

Hours later, as the clock displayed 9:43, Sonic opened his eyes. The foyer light was out, and he could hear the baby's cries from its room next door. He rose to his feet and, stepping lightly, peeked out down the hall. A MRT rep exited the nursery and headed downstairs. He waited until the coast was clear, then slipped into the room. The baby hedgehog lay alone, wailing miserably. Sonic silently approached the crib and peered upon its appalling semblance. He reached in, sliding a single hand under it and lifting it out. He gently stroked the baby's head with his free hand, then curled his thumb under its chin and cleanly snapped its neck with a single twist of the wrist.

His chest nagged sharply as he jolted awake, still seated in the guest room. The ticks of the plastic hedgehog thundered in his ears. It showed 5:07; it hadn't even been twenty minutes since he set it there. The baby continued to cry next door. He lay his hands over his eyes and slowly slid them over his face and ears, locking his fingers comfortably behind his head.

No…of course he wouldn't do that. Too many people cared too much, and he cared about them too much to do that to them. But, the ugly truth was, he did want it to die. _It._ And while he wasn't willing to make that happen, his animosity quietly reminded him who was. He eased from the chair and casually stepped over to the window. It was already dark out. With a solid tug, he forced open the latch, then walked out of the room. That would do.

As he passed by the nursery on his way down the hall, he glanced in and observed three MRT reps tending to the incessantly screaming infant. He continued on and, peering in the next door, saw Amy resting in bed. Only Tails remained in the room with her, sitting sullenly on the floor with his back against the foot of the bed.

"You're still here?" Sonic spoke softly as he walked in. Tails turned his way and quickly got to his feet.

"Um, yeah……um…sorry again about pushing you earlier."

"Don't worry about it. You meant well."

Tails nodded, still showing remorse. "……I was…hoping to spend some time with you since I hardly ever get to see you anymore."

"Hmm, yeah, it's been pretty busy. Well, what do you feel like doing?"

"Uhh, well," Tails began, then hesitated a moment, "we still haven't named the baby yet." His tails swished as he looked up nervously. Sonic's expression darkened, but the append-request-to-guilt-trip tactic warded off a protest. "I really wanna help!"

"All right, then," Sonic agreed, crossing his arms. "What do you think it should be?"

Tails bit his lip as he pondered possibilities. "Uhhh…well, I still like the name Cole a lot, but I was thinking that maybe we could name him for his quills instead. They're kinda cool looking, like a reddish metal." He laughed a bit. "They remind me of a bunch of little thermometers sticking out, full of mercury. …How about Mercury?"

Amy's weary voice startled them both. "Mercury…?" She stretched her arms and pushed herself up against the headboard.

"What do you think, Amy?" Tails asked her.

She sat quietly for several seconds, blinking. "…I kinda like it."

"Mercury it is," Sonic affirmed simply, then pivoted and headed out of the room. "C'mon, Tails, let's go downstairs. I'm starving."

The remaining half of the week played out in similar fashion. Amy lavished countless hours of attention on Mercury while Sonic collectively spent less than thirty minutes a day in his presence. The rest of the time, he was nowhere to be found. She had to turn to the MRT reps whenever she needed assistance of any sort, and even Chris with his busy school schedule was there more often. Finally, she'd had enough.

"Sonic, I need to talk to you." Her voice meant business. Sonic peered over to where she sat in the guest lounge as he stepped in the front door, dread hitting his gut. He approached slowly as she continued. "I understand that things haven't turned out the way you hoped, and I've tried to be patient and give you some time to adjust to the situation, but you are _never here_. Are we in this together or not?" Her eyes were angry, but he could make out deep, fearful concern in them as well. He stood before her for a long time saying nothing. Her voice began to crack. "You promised you would support me, Sonic…."

He closed his eyes and nodded. "I know." He recalled Chris' words in the car urging him to tell her how he felt, but he didn't see "I wish the kid was dead" going over very well. His mouth opened and told her what she wanted to hear. "What can I do to help?"

Her voice reduced to a near whisper. "Something's wrong with Mercury. He won't stop crying. I told the researchers to go ahead and start the bloodwork, so they're doing that now. I couldn't…stand to watch…."

Sonic stared, eyes widened. Was the baby in danger of dying? Could it be that his dark wish was actually being granted? And she really named him that? He swallowed.

"I'll…go see how it's going," he offered. She followed him upstairs but remained outside the door as he went in. All of the medical staff was there, carrying on like a pack of rats as it went about its barrage of tests. Sonic could hardly see Mercury through all the devices to which he'd been hooked up, but the ear-shredding cries assured him he was there. Wow, he'd never heard him scream so loud. One of the doctors withdrew an emptied syringe, effectively explaining the distress. Sonic frowned.

"Any idea what's wrong with him?" he asked the room. Dr. Garrett squeezed his eyes shut as he removed his glasses.

"There appears to be an internal infection of some kind, but it's too soon to say for sure," he explained, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Until we get the results of the bloodwork, we've done all we can really do for him for now." He directed the staff to disconnect the monitors covering the patient. Mercury was freed of the wires and tubes and poking and prodding but continued to bawl. Hesitantly, Sonic scooped him from the crib and cradled him over his shoulder. He worked to keep his face from betraying his repulsion. A wordless glance was made at Amy as he came out and walked the baby down the hall. She watched them, silent and somber.

To everyone's frustration, the bloodwork yielded little information as to Mercury's ailment. More painful tests were conducted each day. Amy was an emotional wreck, fearing the worst, which left Sonic handling the baby between tests more frequently than her. He made a sincere effort to include himself, for he too was very interested in how it would all turn out. Fifteen days into the ordeal, Amy lay sick in bed, having succumbed to her worries. Sonic visited the nursery to check on the staff's progress.

"Let's take another blood sample and run some diagnostics to see if he's responding to the medication," he overheard Dr. Garrett direct another staff member. By now everyone had mostly become used to the constant crying, but this time Sonic found it particularly troubling.

"Actually," Sonic spoke up, "I think he's been through enough today." He paused within himself as he realized that he meant what he'd said. The two reps wore surprise as they turned to look at him.

"You'd…like to postpone further testing until morning?" Dr. Garrett inquired. Sonic nodded. "All right, we'll go ahead and let him rest for now."

As the doctors cleared out of the room, Sonic retrieved Mercury from the crib and held him in the now familiar fashion. The baby's entire face was raw from handling and wet with tears. "It's okay…" he whispered as he patted him, "no one's gonna poke you anymore today." He walked the infant tirelessly down the hall and back for hours. It seemed only right to make up for all Mercury had been through…and the terrible things he'd wished upon him. Indeed, a shift had taken place in Sonic's heart after watching him suffer day in and day out. Hate had given way to guilt and pity…and even something more.

At long last, Mercury began to show signs of improvement. The entire household breathed a sigh of relief as the crying decreased with each new day. Amy's condition was on the up and up as well, though she still spent many hours in bed. It did her heart great wonders to see Sonic cuddling the baby for the first time, and with a genuine smile. Two more weeks passed, and the fledgling family was healthy at last, both physically and in a touching emotional sense. After a particularly exhaustive evening, Sonic and Amy sat resting with Chris on the suede couch in the guest lounge.

"I'm so glad that Mercury's doing okay now," Chris shared as he leaned his head back. "It really had me worried, but I didn't want to say anything that might scare you guys."

Amy nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe it happened for a reason, like a blessing in disguise, you know? I think it actually helped bring us together as a family."

"Yeah, that's true!" Chris agreed. "You two look horrible, but you look happy!" They all laughed. "Man…I hope this doesn't sound mean or anything, but it sure is nice to have peace and quiet again." Right on cue, Mercury began to cry upstairs, causing the three to break out in laughter again. A loud thud and the sound of hard objects hitting the floor suddenly followed.

"What the heck was that??" Sonic asked, sitting rigid. Seconds later, the crying completely ceased. The three exchanged highly concerned glances, and Sonic tore up the stairs to the nursery. Dr. Garrett lay on the floor, trying to wipe the blood from his face with a shaking hand. Medical supplies littered the floor, and the crib was empty.

"What happened?!" Sonic was practically shouting.

"It was Shadow…. I tried to stop him…I'm sorry…."

Amy reached the room next, who shrieked through her hands as they slapped over her mouth. Then Chris arrived.

"Shadow?! How the hell did he get in without us hearing him??"

Sonic's heart stopped. How indeed.


	11. The Proposal

Chapter 11 – The Proposal

Quick but cautious, Sonic bolted into the guest room neighboring the nursery. A chilly draft met him from the open window, its screen resting on the floor.

In his selfishness and hate, he'd let the bastard right in.

He peered out into the darkness, but Shadow was already long gone. His wrenching gut warned him that there wasn't much time.

"I'll call the police!" Chris shouted as he scrambled downstairs.

"I'm gonna go after him," Sonic informed Amy, surprised by the calm in his own voice.

"Check the beach," Amy urged. "Seabright Beach…there's an abandoned beach house at the southern edge."

"Seabright? By Santa Cruz?" Amy nodded.

"Got it. Lock the window behind me and stay with Chris!"

He started to climb out when Amy's voice halted him. "Sonic, wait!" He leaned back and peered over his shoulder at her. "There's something he told me about that place that you should know…."

It took Shadow less than half an hour to reach the beach at his blistering pace. Winded, he stopped for a few moments on the far end of the darkened boardwalk. Mercury wailed loudly in his arms, as he had the whole way. He addressed his son between breaths, removing and rewrapping him in his tiny blanket.

"Whiney…aren't ya? …Just be glad…you weren't his."

Having been closed for the season, the entire beach was shrouded in night's cloak. It was the first time he'd come there since returning from Mobius, and the trip hadn't been a planned one. Discovering that Amy had borne his offspring instead of Sonic's had significantly altered what would have been a simple last act of vengeance. Now he was in need of supplies that would enable him to properly care for the infant. He glided along the boardwalk at a reduced pace, taking extra care not to run into anything. As the beach house came into view, he gazed beyond it at the rising tide. He'd have to work fast. He hopped off the boardwalk into the sandy clearing and suddenly found himself in the blinding radius of a spotlight.

"_Freeze!!_" commanded a man's voice, and Shadow became aware that several police officers were pointing their guns at him. Obviously the local authorities had been alerted and beaten him to the scene.

A hint of laughter laced Shadow's voice as he boldly defied them. "You wouldn't dare." He dashed forth toward the beach house, and as expected, no shots were fired. Police used standard protocol to carefully approach after he slipped inside. As they neared, however, they were met by the horror of flames that licked the boarded windows. They reorganized and hurried to break down the barricaded entrance.

Shadow pulled the trap door shut above him, holding Mercury suspended from the blanket by his teeth. He would have preferred to set the baby down, but water in the underground passageway was already several inches deep. The fact that it was so close to the shore made it susceptible to flooding during high tide. An even bigger problem was the tunnel's low ceiling, which forced Shadow to stoop most of the way through. He held Mercury safely above the salty water as he tediously waded along.

The flames spread rapidly through the beach house overhead, forbidding police from entering. By the time the fire department arrived, the upper floors had already collapsed. There wasn't much that could be done except to hose the burning ruins down. Chris' uncle arrived on the scene and watched helplessly from his vehicle. The chances of anyone surviving the blaze were slim.

The water was up to Shadow's shoulders now, and the final stretch of the passageway dipped down before it led up and out the other side. This area was completely submerged. He glanced at Mercury, whose blanket was soaked with seawater. He continued to express his fear and discomfort the only way he knew how. Shadow took a deep breath, then blocked the baby's nose and mouth with his free hand, plunging into the water. He dug his feet into the ground and thrust himself along as quickly as possible, finally reaching the far wall after several endless seconds. A makeshift ladder of giant metal staples led upward to his destination, and more importantly, fresh air. Both hands full, he clung to the staples with his elbows as best he could as he pushed with his feet. It took considerable effort, but at last he neared the surface. He lifted Mercury just out of the water still covering his own head and finally had a free hand with which to grasp and climb the rest of the way. He gasped an eager breath as he surfaced and pulled himself onto the dirt landing. After a few seconds, it dawned on him that Mercury was no longer crying. He quickly examined the infant, who wasn't breathing either. Frowning, Shadow turned him over and squeezed his belly, employing emergency procedures he'd learned aboard the ARK. Water and vomit exited the baby's mouth, who followed up with coughing and a new round of crying. Shadow closed his eyes and exhaled.

Sonic finally arrived on the scene, having lost precious time due to his unfamiliarity with the area. He gaped at the smoldering ruins of the beach house, then spotted Sam's car and rushed over.

"Do they know if he was in there??" Sonic demanded, shouting to be heard above the noise.

"Yeah, he went in and the fire broke out right after," Sam confirmed, not looking hopeful. Sonic turned and scanned the shops along the boardwalk. He strained to read the names of each against the flashes of red and blue.

Shadow emerged from his secret passageway inside of a dry goods storage room. Ironic that he came into it dripping wet. He grabbed a dry cheesecloth and wrapped Mercury in it, discarding the soggy blanket. His original intention had been to come here to acquire useful goods, but he decided under the circumstances that it would be best not to load himself down any further. He drank some bottled water and used the rest to rinse Mercury's face and mouth. Next, he turned his attention to the locked door between him and his escape. It was thin and wooden, easily handled, he determined. He set Mercury out of harm's way and executed a homing attack on the barrier. A large portion of it cracked and splintered. Another blow took care of the rest.

"Time to go," he stated as he retrieved his son. He exited the shop adjoining the storeroom and sneaked off the beach while police concerned themselves with the remains of the beach house. Sonic finally located the same shop seconds later, which Amy had identified as the outlet. Noting the broken door, he whipped around and surveyed the area for any sign of Shadow. The darkness worked in his favor as his eyes caught the telltale flare of the elusive hedgehog's skates in the fast growing distance.

Mercury quieted down a bit, seeming to take comfort in the swaying movement now that his father's pace was not as ruthless. Shadow took particular care to shield his wet body from the frigid night air, as the temperatures in the region remained well below average. He held him close, gliding past the medley of city lights in a surrealistic moment that soothingly enveloped him as well…until the rapid footfalls began to close in. His mouth formed a scowl as he abruptly diverted his course and picked up speed. Battle would not be possible; his only choice was to lose his pursuer.

Amy sat in a foreign zone as Chris tended to Dr. Garrett's wounds, assisted by Ella and Mr. Tanaka, who had also been roused by the commotion. Since receiving news from Sam regarding the beach house, hardly anyone had said a word.

"There's still a chance he survived," Ella croaked of Mercury, her eyes blurred with tears. Chris said nothing, but his frown grew deeper. Tanaka shot a grim look at Dr. Garrett, who blinked uncomfortably and drew a hesitant breath.

"Actually…he's not there." All eyes, even Amy's, were on him as he continued. "Uhm," he cleared his throat, "a few days after Mercury was born, an RFID tag was implanted on his body…which…was the cause of his infection. I'm terribly sorry." Everyone looked as though their jaws had become unhinged, except for Tanaka, who was quick to add more.

"But because he has this chip, we're able to pinpoint his location anywhere in the world."

Chris' shock transferred from Garrett to Tanaka. "Y-you _knew_ about this?!"

Tanaka eyed him directly. "It's not my place to divulge what goes on in this household. The Mobians were a secret once too."

"Oh my…." was all Ella could manage as her hand slid down her face.

Dr. Garrett reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a handheld device. He depressed a button, and a map instantly materialized on its screen. A tiny green dot could be seen crawling along the pixel streets.

"We can track him with this."

Amy, who'd stood speechless, wavered as if about to topple over. Chris bolted over to catch her, but instead of fainting, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him to her face.

"_TAKE ME THERE__** NOW!!!**_"

Despite his efforts, Shadow had not been able to lose Sonic. The pursuit had traversed several miles and neighborhoods, leaving him exhausted and frustrated. This needed to end now. With his remaining energy, he tore down the highway, soon coming onto the International orange span of the Golden Gate Bridge. He leaped onto the perilously narrow support beams and ran along them. Sonic didn't hesitate to follow. The two hedgehogs made their way upwards, jumping, sidling, and grinding where necessary to proceed. They were near the highest point of the bridge when Shadow stopped and turned to face Sonic. He gripped the blanket containing Mercury tightly and extended his arm outward, over Golden Gate strait. Sonic skidded to a standstill and held both hands before him.

"Whoa whoa whoa, take it easy!" he panted. "You don't wanna do that."

"Fine then," Shadow breathed, eyes knifing, "I have a proposal for you. How about we call a truce? You keep the girl, I keep the kid, and nobody has to die. Otherwise…you'd better hope he's a better swimmer than you are."

Sonic's eyes shifted from the crying baby to its father and back. He didn't sense a bluff…but giving up Mercury was out of the question. His breaths roared in his ears.

Shadow clenched his teeth. "Make up your mind or I'll do it for you."

A frail female voice carried from behind Sonic. "_Take him!!_"

Sonic gasped. "Amy?!" Her limbs were shaking from the arduous ascent, but she pulled herself onto their level, sobbing uncontrollably.

"_Just take him!!!_"

Several seconds passed in which the only sounds were Mercury's heaving cries and her own. Finally, Shadow stepped back and, after gazing upon her somberly, descended by grinding down the parabola support cables with their son in his arms. Sonic could only watch as the baby he'd tried so hard to save disappeared into the night. It was over. He slowly turned and took hold of Amy, who was still sobbing, and helped her to her feet. She slumped into him until only his arms were holding her up. He whispered the only words that brought himself any comfort.

"We'll get him back…."


	12. The Gift

Chapter 12 – The Gift

The hours following the kidnapping skimmed Amy's threshold of insanity. Mercury's RFID tag was tracked straight from Golden Gate Bridge to the Mobius portal, where the signal was lost. Local authorities coordinated their efforts with Mobian officials to conduct a search on that end, and Sonic set off on one of his own, but nothing more than a few eyewitness accounts turned up. The hours stretched into days and the days became weeks, a nightmare from which she would never wake. Her hopes, dreams, and prayers that Shadow would return spiraled disintegrating into an abyss of depression.

After nearly two months had passed, Sonic gazed upon Amy's ragged, bony body, curled up on the horseshoe couch of the upstairs lounge. She'd barely eaten or slept since the fateful night, and now she barely even moved. It couldn't go on like this. Sonic stood raking his mind for something, anything he could do to bring her some kind of comfort. Then it occurred to him.

"Amy…." he spoke softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't respond, but he went on. "There's something I want to show you." Her head snapped up, her eyes hopeful. Whatever she was seeking in his expression wasn't there, however, and she lay her head back down, staring blankly across the room. He wobbled her shoulder with a couple of nudges. "C'mon…let's go for a walk." He took her hand and pulled her toward him, forcing her to stick her foot out to keep from falling to the floor. She finally pushed herself upright and allowed him to lead her from the room. They continued downstairs to the front door. "It's pretty nice out today."

They stepped outside hand in hand, an extremely rare occurrence between them in public. He couldn't really help it; he was almost afraid to let go. They walked several blocks to a ritzy shopping plaza. None of the cute accessories in the windows they passed received any more than a fleeting glance from her. Sonic brought her to a crusty three-tier fountain that had been shut off for the winter, where he stopped and turned to face her, looking suspiciously upbeat. "Thought you might want to do some shopping."

Amy blinked and peered somberly at the fountain. "I don't really feel like it…."

"Not even here?" He smirked at her as he gestured with a nod at the store behind her. She turned, and her eyes instantly widened. Standing in the display window was a mannequin donning a gorgeous flowing bridal gown, holding a silk rose bouquet. Amy redirected her gape at Sonic, speechless. He grinned. "Let's do it!" Her jaw dropped all the more.

"R-really??" She put her hand on his shoulder, suddenly out of breath. "Hhhh…wait a minute—aren't you supposed to propose?"

"Oh, uh," he asked amid laughter, "wanna get married?"

"And-and a ring! Aren't I supposed to get a ring?"

"A ring?"

"Yeah, you know, an engagement ring?"

"Oh, uhhhh…." He scratched his ear, starting to tense. Amy broke into a smile for the first time since Mercury was taken.

"Oh, who cares?!" She threw her arms around her fiancé.

"Oh, that's a great idea!!" Chris told Sonic in a hushed voice back at the mansion that night. "That should really help take her mind off things." He paused thoughtfully, eyes bouncing about the kitchen, then turned back to him. "Congratulations, by the way!"

Sonic responded with a modest chuckle. "I really hope it snaps her out of that funk. We should try to keep things fast paced so she stays occupied. How long does it normally take to arrange a wedding?"

"Umm…when my mom's sister got married , she had a really big wedding, and it took her, like, almost a year to get it all planned and everything."

Sonic nodded. "We'll do it in five months, then." Chris flinched as Sonic rubbed his chin. "No, wait, make it four. …Yeah…four oughta do."

Amy trotted into the kitchen with two sheets she'd printed from the Internet. "Okay, what do you think of these for the wedding colors? Do you like this one, or this one?" She held each page up alternately, then did it again. "This one, or this one?" Chris' and Sonic's eyes jumped from the pink and powder blue to the pink and sky blue.

"……I'd go with the lighter one," Chris commented.

Amy eyed Sonic. "What do you think, Sonic?"

"Yeah, that one's good," he agreed. He couldn't tell the difference.

Amy meekly smiled to herself as she examined the selected color scheme once more. She took it into the dining room where her binder waited and slipped it into one of its folders. Organizing the marriage, though it didn't really take her mind off of Mercury, was a welcome task for her. It gave her something thoroughly good to think about and hope for, and it was something over which she had total control. Such a simple luxury had been painfully absent for far too long.

The preparations were appreciated on Sonic's end too, though for him they entailed addressing a few unpleasant loose ends. In Mobius on the following morning, he shielded his eyes from the sun's potent glare as he emerged from a cave connecting the Mystic Ruin's dense jungles. A short distance away, the Master Emerald refracted a luminescent brilliance. He shifted himself into high gear and raced across the tropical terrain, closing the gap within seconds. Knuckles, who'd been lying peacefully across the mossy steps leading up from the massive gem, jerked upright at Sonic's sudden arrival. He beheld the hedgehog with something less than a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" the echidna inquired, his tone bordering on annoyance.

"Nice to see you too!" Sonic quipped, provoking the full scowl. "But in any case, I'm afraid I've got some bad news." His demeanor shed its cocky edge. He explained Mercury's abduction and unsuccessful recovery to Knuckles, who lowered his head.

"I'm sorry," his deep voice scraped the ground.

"Yeah, well, keep an eye out and let us know if you see anything," Sonic requested, shifting his weight onto his other foot. "So anyways, now comes the part that has to do with why I'm here!" Knuckles lifted his watchful eyes back to him. "Amy and I are…" Sonic drifted off into hesitation. It wasn't any easier to say now than it was when he told Tails half an hour ago. "...well, circumstances being what they are and all, I thought she could use some distraction…sooo…we're getting married."

More surprise crossed Knuckles' face at this news than at that of the kidnapping. "Oh……wow……but……I still don't get why you're here…."

The simper returned to Sonic's face as he shrugged. "Thought you might want to be a groomsman."

Knuckles leaned forward, eyes wide. "Really…??" The two had never been the best of friends and at times had barely been friends at all, so these words served as the biggest surprise of the morning. From what he'd heard, being selected as a groomsman for a wedding was quite an honor.

"Sure, why not? But," Sonic emphasized, "if you do come, and I'm gonna say this slowly, _dooooon't…menshun…the bay-beeeee._"

"I know!" Knuckles snorted irritably, turning his face aside. Then he turned back, smiling. "Thanks, Sonic. I'd be honored to attend."

"…And so I've got Tails coming as best man and Chris and Chuck and Sam and Tanaka and Knuckles as groomsmen so far," Sonic informed Amy as they sat nestled together on the suede couch. They had the night to themselves now that the Mobian Research Team had cleared out.

"Wow, great!" Amy beamed. "I haven't decided on a maid of honor yet, maybe Ella, but I've invited Cream to be the flower girl and asked Francis, Helen, Sandy, and Melissa to be bridesmaids."

"Sandy's that girl you know from work, right?" Sonic inquired, confirmed by Amy's nod. "And Melissa…is she the one with the red hair and the…teeth?" Amy nodded again, stifling a laugh. "Yeah, okay. You gonna invite any Mobians besides Cream?"

"Hmmm…I'd like to invite Big, and maybe Raspberry," Amy mused, referring to a mouse she'd known since childhood. "Oh, what about Rouge?"

There was a pause, and then they both simultaneously expressed their hesitation, "Ehhhhhhh…." followed by Amy's suggestion.

"I'll put her on the maybe list." Sonic nodded agreement. After jotting down the name, Amy put her pen to her lips. "Hmmm…what about your friends in Knothole? Princess Sally?"

Sonic's eyes darted aside. "Mm, they're pretty far away, and she's probably got more important things to do."

It seemed like an odd thing for him to say, Amy thought, but she didn't press the issue. She really didn't want Sally there anyway.

"Well, I think that'll do it for tonight," Amy decided, setting her notepad on the coffee table. Sonic sat up as she leaned back, licking the top of her head as he typically did every couple of days, just to keep the scent fresh. She sat in thought as she waited for him to finish. "You are gonna get me a ring, right?" He backed away just enough to make eye contact as she continued. "I mean, it's okay if you wanna skip the engagement ring, but it's only proper to get a wedding ring!"

His eyes narrowed as his smile expanded. "Says who?"

"The…customs and stuff! It's the way it's supposed to be done!"

"Heh, if we did things they way they were supposed to be done here, I'd probably be in trouble for rape since you're technically not allowed to consent to sex until you're eighteen." He chuckled as she snorted.

"Seriously, though, Sonic, I really want one…."

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," he answered amiably with a tip of his head. Amy smiled endearingly.

"Thaaaanks," she said sweetly, nuzzling him. His head turned and engaged her in a tender kiss. In its midst, she could feel him pressing on her, advancing. Her hands pushed against his chest as her back hit the couch, forcing its abrupt end. "…I don't think I'm ready yet." His eyebrow sank a bit as he blinked at her, saying nothing. He turned aside and nestled his head just below her shoulder. Her hands gently gripped his quills just as they did during their most intimate moments, of which they hadn't partaken since his injury. They lay that way for several seconds before Sonic spoke.

"How 'bout now?" he joked, at which she giggled.

Word of the world's first formal Mobian wedding—between a famous couple, no less—raced through media across the globe. An outpouring of public interest overwhelmed the Thorndyke household on every front. It quickly became clear that this would by no means be a small scale ceremony. Chris selected the location in which it would be held, a mega capacity affiliate of his own Baptist church. When the highly anticipated day had at last come, guests arrived by the scores. Even the Mobian Research Team was there, bearing dozens of expensive gifts in a hopeful rectification of its infringement. The entire massive sanctuary and balcony were filled until overflowing. Offsetting the noise of people trying to find seats, a one-hundred-member choir lifted its collective voice in a magnificent hymn.

"_Majesty, worship His majesty;_

_Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise!_

_Majesty, kingdom authority,_

_Flow from His throne unto His own, His anthem raise._

_So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus!_

_Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus, the King!_

_Majesty, worship His majesty,_

_Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings!"_

Knuckles stood listening behind the scenes, breathless…though he'd been breathless for quite some time before the music started.

"H-how did I let you talk me into this…??" he stammered in hyperventilation. He pawed at the increasingly tight bow tie of his regal tuxedo as he peered in desperation at Sonic. "I…I don't think I can go out there!!"

"Ha! If I'm goin' out there you're sure as heck goin' out there!" Sonic shot back, picking at his own tux in front of a full length mirror. All but of a few of his quills had been strapped down just so he could wear it. Dreadfully uncomfortable as it was, he was inwardly pleased at how sharp he looked.

Tails' tails seemed to have a mind of their own as he sat on the counter. "I'm so nervous," he admitted, though he managed a smile. "Where's Chris?"

"I think he's out helping seat people," Sonic responded blankly. His mind had wandered in another direction, to Mercury. They weren't any closer to finding him now than they were the night they lost him. He found himself resigning hope into the marriage; it would be a fresh start.

On the other side of the wall, in the ladies' powder room, Amy sat staring into her own mirror, which at the moment may as well have been a window into Sonic's mind. A fresh start……no, never…. Her sorrow would not allow her to embrace it. How could she even consider pushing forward with her life as if Mercury had never existed? Her lips pressed into her clasped hands, hot tears forming in her eyes. A prayer, not much unlike the others she'd made over the past several weeks, emanated from her grieving soul.

_Gracious High One, thank you for this special day and the loved ones who are here to support me. Please bless everyone here…and please, please look after Mercury and help us find him soon…or at least give me a sign that he's okay_…_please_….

She opened her eyes, her heart pondering whether the Creator of all things to whom she prayed was indeed one and the same as He who was worshiped in this church. Compared to humans, Mobians had very little in the way of a religious doctrine. The descriptions of the High One in theirs were strikingly similar in many ways to the Trinity of the Holy Bible, but for Mobians there was no original sin, and thus, no offer of redemption. She recalled a conversation she'd had with Sonic the first time they attended a Christian service, which had been in the much smaller church of which Chris and his parents were members.

"This is kinda complicated," he'd murmured to her in the pew as the pastor spoke.

"Why do you say that?" she whispered back.

"There's so many…rules, commandments, expectations…I don't see how they could ever hope to get it right. By the way this guy's talking," Sonic pointed his thumb at the pastor, "I don't think anybody could make it into heaven!"

"That's the whole point," Amy replied, causing him to make a bemused face. She explained, "He's saying that people can't earn God's approval, or else they wouldn't need a Savior. Jesus died on the cross because no one would get into heaven otherwise."

"…So…even if someone lives a good life and is nice to everybody and stays out of trouble, he'd still go to hell if he didn't believe in, in Jesus?"

Chris, who was sitting on Sonic's other side, leaned over. "It's not about how good you are. It's like a…peeled apple that's been dropped on the ground. It's doesn't matter how good the apple is because it's covered in dirt and hair and dead bugs! It's not going to be acceptable until you remove the bad stuff covering it, but apples can't wash themselves, so Christ does it for them. That's why they call it being washed in the blood."

Sonic turned to look at Chris, gesturing to himself and Amy with his finger. "A and B conversation here," he teased.

Amy broke into soft laughter at the memory's nostalgic comfort. Her nagging worries of her son's whereabouts and welfare didn't take long to resurface, however. Carrying on with such a rosy occasion while he was still missing weighed her heart with an especially heavy lump of guilt. She'd promised everyone that she wouldn't cry today, but she knew it was only a short matter of time before she could no longer hold the tears back. She glanced over her shoulder at Cream, who was fiddling with the flowers woven into the band resting atop her head.

"Don't pick at it; you're just going to make it worse," Ella warned the young rabbit, working to replace a flower that had fallen out. Glancing from them to the corner of the room, Amy observed the bridesmaids chatting amongst themselves. She got to her feet and attempted to keep her voice even.

"I'll be right back…."

Lifting her pearly pink gown a couple of inches from the floor, she stepped quickly down the carpeted hall. Just around the corner, an elevator opened wide and spewed out its mouthful of people. Amy hurried over and stepped inside before the doors shut, making sure her train didn't get caught. She depressed the button bearing a bold number 7, the top floor of the church. The lift hummed as it carried her upward, then emitted two soft dings at its destination. The doors spread apart to darkened corridors. Amy realized that this floor wasn't currently in use—which offered exactly the privacy she needed right now. Slowly, she exited the elevator, feeling the walls for a light switch. At last her hand met one, and she flipped up the first of the five toggles. Every other fluorescent panel illuminated in the hall on her left. She proceeded to follow their lead, glancing into open doors as she went by. It was eerily silent except for the faint strains of organ music from downstairs. Suddenly, the elevator dinged behind her, warning that someone was about to come out. Not wanting to be found, she darted into the women's restroom nearby. She discovered it to be another lavish powder room, with a satin-upholstered circular sofa, exceptionally long makeup counter, and two private rooms with toilets. She kept her steps light as she made her way into one of the tiny rooms and locked herself inside. The lid of the toilet was quietly lowered before she sat and waited for whoever was probably looking for her to leave. She listened for footsteps, hearing none, but there was a thud in the room just outside, causing her to jump. Cream's voice called out.

"Miss Amy? Are you in here?"

Amy said nothing. She held her breath for several tense moments. Just when it seemed like she was finally alone, there was another thump from the powder room. Cream obviously knew she was there. Sighing sharply, Amy stood up and emerged from her hiding spot. She froze astounded at what she saw before her. Sitting on the circular sofa, elbows propped on his knees, was Shadow. Beside him, a blanket-wrapped Mercury lay sleeping in a woven basket. Her heart nearly beat itself out of her chest as Shadow lifted his head and looked at her.

"Don't be afraid," his lowly voice implored. His eyes, she suddenly realized, were different. There was no vengeance-bent malice, no calculating leer…just fathoms of profound sadness. "I'm not here to harm anyone." Unable to speak, Amy repeatedly shifted her eyes between him and their baby. He rose to his feet and backed away. "Come and see." She hesitated only one additional moment before dashing across the room and taking Mercury into her arms. His size and weight had drastically increased, and his quills had developed a thin, thorn-like appearance, accentuating their lustrous red gradient. He whined irritably as he started to wake, his face wet with Amy's tears. Shadow watched them, arms crossed. "…I just want what's best for him now," he stated. "He should be with his mother."

Amy's eyes returned to Shadow in wonder. Why now, after all this time, and why today of all days? Her mouth opened, but still the words didn't come. Instead, her conscience spoke…

_why else would he come on your wedding day_

…and at last she understood. He still loved her. Never until that moment did it dawn on her how much harm she had actually caused...the full impact of her careless decisions. In salvaging her own ideals, she had essentially mutilated his.

Just as the realization sank in, Mercury squirmed in her arms and caught sight of Shadow. His tiny hands reached out

"Daaaadaa…."

Shadow's eyes narrowed as his brow sank. He turned and began to walk out. Amy finally found her voice.

"No! Wait!"

He stopped but didn't look back. She stammered breathlessly for more words. "I…I don't want it to be this way...." Her heart was shredding. The one thing she'd so desperately hoped, dreamed, and prayed for was now in her hands…and yet it wasn't right. Everyone had sacrificed their own interests to atone for the mess except her, the one who'd created it in the first place. Now, something told her, it was her turn. Another flood of tears prompted her to return Mercury to his basket. She wiped her face with one hand while tucking him in with the other. "He's……become……attached to you," she could hardly get the sentence out. "It'd be…better…if.......he stayed with you……."

Shadow turned, the telltale trails of grief streaking even his own face. Seeing him this way surprised her but fueled her resolve. "I know now," she explained, "that you have what it takes to be a good father to him…because you were willing to give him up after all this time just so he could have what you thought best." She closed her eyes, and another tear rolled down her cheek. "I want you to have him." Taking a steadying breath, she waited for a response, but he said nothing. When she opened her eyes, he was standing right before her.

"…You do?" he almost whispered.

Her mouth crumpled as she nodded. "Just promise me you'll take good care of him…." she requested, nearly losing her voice in her throat.

He cracked an amiable smile for the first time since the day they met by their bench. "I will."

She threw her arms around him, releasing the remainder of her grief into his shoulder for every bit of pain…that which she'd caused him…that which he'd caused her...everything. He closed his eyes and held her this way until Mercury had had enough.

"Waaawo!!" He kicked furiously in his basket, demanding attention.

They both turned to him warmly. Amy gently stepped up and planted one more kiss on his forehead. She stroked his cheek as she whispered to him.

"_I love you_…."

Organs blaring, Cream skipped gleefully down each aisle of the sanctuary, tossing generous handfuls of petals until she realized she wouldn't have enough for the rest of the way and started skimping what was left. The bridesmaids were escorted in by the groomsmen and took their places. At the end of the entrance formalities, the humans stood politely while the Mobians suffered in stark contrast, Tails biting his lip, Knuckles wavering like a windsock, and Sonic absentmindedly scratching his ear. Finally, the Bridal March began to play, and everyone in the pews turned to behold Amy. She made her entrance right on cue, trembling a bit and breathing deeply. Sonic turned, noting from a distance the tears streaming down her face. He frowned slightly, distraught that even now her thoughts were on Mercury. As she neared, however, he could see that she was smiling. He whispered to her as she came to a stop beside him.

"You okay?"

She inhaled deeply, receiving a serene composure. "I am now."

X x X x X x X x X x X

Author's Note: Thank you very much for reading my first completed fanfic! If you enjoyed it, by all means, please let me know by posting a review! You're also invited to check out the sequel Thorn Latch, which, among other things, details what happened to Shadow during his recovery time in Mobius, what becomes of Mercury, and the birth of Amy's second child. Your compliments and support are greatly appreciated!


End file.
